Change
by Becca86
Summary: Being different had never been a good thing in Sora's small family, and he always agreed with his parent's opinion on the matter. But that might have to change when he suddenly becomes one of the strange people he usually calls "monsters". shounen ai
1. How everything started

Disclaimer : Kingdom Hearts and its characters do not belong to me.

_Okay, it's new story time! I'm changing from what I've written so far. I__t's still shounen ai (so it's no use reading if you don't like it) but I'm trying to write something with vampires and such. For those who are thinking it'll just be like Twilight… Well, I hope it won't. (I've not seen the movie or read the books so I wouldn't know) By the way, don't hate Sora yet. His words might be really mean right now but I promise he'll change soon enough. =) Anyway, I hope you'll all like it! \o/ Enjoy!_

xx—xx—xx

_Chapter 01 : How everything started_

_------_

_They steal people's beauty genes to get prettier themselves. That's why they only target beautiful persons. Never get__ close to them. Don't even shoot a glance at them or they will try to get you for sure. Vampires are foul creatures that must be avoided._

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It was another long and boring day at school and Sora was glad when it finally came to an end. Spiky hair bouncing as he walked down the hallway to his locker, the brunet kept a wide smile on his face, the single thought of going back home enough to bring newly found energy to his previously exhausted mind. Listening to teachers ranting and repeating the same thing over and over truly was tiring. At least, to him, it was.

He spotted a few friends waving goodbye at him and sent them one of his trademark smiles, lifting a hand to wave back. Deciding he had wasted too much time in front of his locker, he locked it and went home.

A chilly wind blew as he passed the school's gates and he sped up his pace. It was really cold in Illusiopolis during winter – heck, even summer was! Sora often found himself envying islanders. They always had a nice weather and warm days throughout the year. A quick look at one pale arm reminded him how much he'd love to get a nice tan that wouldn't make him look like a walking corpse.

Girls liked tanned guys.

Forgetting his mental images of white sand and aquamarine water for the moment, the brunet ran all the way home, not standing the cold any longer. He passed by a tall, good-looking man and made a face when the stranger couldn't see him.

"_Probably one of those damn vampires,_" the teen thought bitterly, mentally cursing the evil creature.

He truly couldn't stand all those freaks that dared live close to humans. Who knew what they were up to? They could suddenly find humans a nuisance and get rid of them all. Humans wouldn't stand a chance.

"_Like I'd fall without putting a fight._"

After what seemed like hours, that only were a few minutes, Sora entered his house and heaved a long sigh when warm air met his almost numb face. He couldn't feel the tip of his nose any more and his fingers were beginning to hurt.

"Is that you, Sora?" A woman called.

"Yeah," the brunet replied, taking his shoes off before making his way to his mother.

She had blonde hair, piercing blue eyes – just like his – and an emotionless expression as she rummaged through drawers filled with folders and sheets of paper.

"That stubborn idiot. How many times have I told him to-" the woman began complaining.

Her son decided he'd better leave before she began complaining to him about his father's habit of leaving a mess behind him everywhere he went and headed for his bedroom. Once he closed the door, he let a long sigh pass his lips and made to lie on his bed but something lying on the ground caught his eyes.

"Oh no, don't tell me this is-" he whined as he walked towards a heap of dirt on the floor, right under his window. The brunet picked the plant up and examined it closely.

The African violet that had been starting to bloom after many efforts on Sora's part looked like it would soon make friends with the trash bin, which truly annoyed the boy. He'd spent a lot of time taking care of the plant, a precious gift from a friend in his school. As girly as he had found it, he grew really attached to the cute little plant – no, scratch that. He was finally tolerating the thing's presence in his room and all this for what? The poor thing just couldn't end like that. In a desperate need to save the practically dead-looking plant, the teenager searched his entire house for a new pot and once he found exactly what he needed, he potted the plant and watered it before going in his room to put it back where in belonged, in front of his window.

The brunet made a face when he noticed some of the leaves were now broken and some flowers were nearly falling from their stems.

"I guess I'll have to buy another one," Sora whispered to himself as he let the tip of his fingers brush against the damaged plant.

He didn't take it any more heed and sat at his desk, deciding that it was time to do his homework.

x-x-x

"Sora, did you do the homework for English class?" A blond called Tidus asked the brunet during lunch.

They had been friends since they had entered junior high and were truly happy when they found out they would be going to the same high school, where they met their two other friends, Selphie and Wakka. Actually, Tidus had known Wakka since kindergarten but somehow lost contact with the redhead for a long while. That didn't stop them from getting along as well as they did years ago. As for Selphie, it seemed she and Wakka spent junior high together as close friends but nothing more.

"It gave me trouble to finish it but yeah, I've done it. Don't tell me you're thinking about copying on me again?" Sora asked, certain that his blond friend would send him a guilty look and promise to somehow make it up to him – which he never did.

He wasn't so surprised when Tidus did just that and kept thanking him after his friend handed him his paper.

"You're too nice, Sora. Just say no. You're not really helping him, anyway," Wakka stated, his comment earning a playful glare from Tidus.

"Hey, guys, you'll never guess what happened to one of my neighbours!" Selphie suddenly exclaimed, her sudden outburst catching a few kids' attention around their table. The three boys sitting with her rolled their eyes, knowing it wouldn't be that exciting. "I heard he had a fight with a Sorcerer and now, he's got the ugliest spot I've ever seen on his forehead. I think there are even hairs growing on it. It's so disgusting," the girl explained, making a face as she described her neighbour's case.

"He must be really stupid. Everyone knows it's not safe to mess with those freaks," Sora stated as he grabbed his can of soda.

"Come on, they're not bad people. I've never understood how a nice guy like you can be so mean," Tidus told the brunet, giving him a strong pat on his back and making him spill some of his drink on the table.

"Well, I've never understood how you guys can bear them," Sora spat, sending a glare – that really wasn't all that menacing – towards the blond.

Somehow, Wakka felt it was time to change the subject and did just that. The rest of the day was uneventful and soon it was time for everyone to go home. Sora had been really happy, until he entered his bedroom. Something black on the wall, surrounded by four friends, caught his attention and the brunet stepped back slowly until he exited his room and bolted downstairs, calling his mother loudly.

"What is it? Don't run down the stairs, Sora, you'll end up falling one of these days," Elena scolded him with a small smile on her lips.

"But mom!" Her son exclaimed, his eyes wide open. "There are huge spiders in my room! Again!" He continued, his arms moving quickly around him, making him look like he was fighting an invisible opponent.

"You're such a wimp," his mother sighed, making her way towards the brunet's room. "You're the only boy I know who's so afraid of such little things."

"They're not little! Just look at them! They even have hairy legs! You know I can't stand those…" The brunet whimpered, watching as the woman entered his bedroom, found the spiders and took a magazine lying on Sora's desk.

Said boy's eyes widened a bit more, if possible, as he noticed this.

"You're going to kill them?" He asked.

"Of course not. I'm going to tell them to just get away and they'll obey me like good little kids," she told him with a straight face. "Now, do you want to get rid of them or wait until someone else decides to squash them?"

The blonde woman didn't wait for an answer and just hit the wall with the magazine, effectively killing the animals and watching them fall to the ground in a heap of curled up hairy legs. Once done, she set the object back on the teen's desk and left. Sora heaved a long sigh and went to fetch a broom to clear the floor of the corpses.

"Really sorry, guys," he whispered to the dead spiders as he pushed them towards his trash bin, all the while wondering how he'd get them inside it. Maybe he'd wait for his dad to come back and do it for him.

He set the broom aside and took a quick look around him, making sure there were no other spiders. When he was sure to be the only walking being inside his room, he sat and sent a quick glance towards his small plant. He turned his head towards his bag before looking at the plant again.

"What the-" he began, taking the pot in his hands.

The African violet looked pretty nice. No more broken stems, just beautiful, green leaves and nice looking purple flowers. The boy checked the plant for any missing leaves, at first thinking that his mother had cut them but no, everything looked perfectly fine. He then thought it was a new one but immediately recognized the plant he had taken care of for years.

"Okay, now this is just creeping me out," the brunet whispered to himself, suddenly looking at the dead spiders in fear that they too would come back to life. But it didn't seem like they'd get up any time soon. Hell, they were as flat as a sheet of paper so they just couldn't be still alive.

"Mom," the boy called again from his bedroom. An annoyed "what do you want this time?" was heard from downstairs. "Did you do something to my plant?" Sora asked.

"Why would I touch that thing?" Elena replied before he heard her stomp back to wherever she had been before.

The teen turned back to the nice African violet and frowned. He was no expert when it came to gardening but he was pretty sure broken stems couldn't be repaired. That was impossible.

Later that night, the small family was sitting around a table in the dining room, eating dinner. Sora hadn't said much but that was to be expected when his parents where laughing their asses off, talking about their son.

"Man, I swear you have no luck, Sora. It seems like those things just like to be in your room. Too bad you're so afraid of them," his father joked, clapping his son's back with a strong hand that almost sent the brunet's head right into his plate.

"Now that you mention it, it's true we don't find spiders in the house any more," Elena thought aloud. "They are always found in Sora's room."

"You're not hiding anything from us, are you, Sora?" The teen's father asked in a cold tone of voice. Said teen shook his head no immediately. "Just kidding," the grown-up told him before he ate some salad.

Sora truly wished it was pure coincidence but he couldn't be so sure. His almost dead plant came back to life, after all. How creepy was that?

The next day, the brunet left his house earlier that usual to take a long walk before going to school. He needed to be alone to think things through even if he dreaded what he'd end up thinking. First, there was the whole plant case and then those ugly spiders enjoying scaring the hell out of him. The blue-eyed teen was beginning to have doubts.

"_What if there was something wrong with me?_" He thought, biting his bottom lip as he glanced at his surroundings.

It was just an empty street with trees here and there. The harsh weather had made their leaves fall long ago and all that remained were slim branches.

Sora stared at one of them for a long while, silently debating whether he should listen to the little voice in his head or ignore it – because really, this was just ridiculous. Deciding that he would just have a good laugh out of this in the end, the brunet stepped towards one of the trees and put a hand on its trunk. He waited for a while and then heaved a long sigh, bringing his hand back to his side…

And gaping at the trunk.

Moss was beginning to grow right where his hand had been seconds prior, quickly extending to the rest of the trunk. Sora looked up and his eyes widened as leaves began to form on the branches and white flowers bloomed here and there. Soon, it looked like it was already spring for that tree alone.

The teen looked around him quickly, making sure no one had seen him. He'd be in trouble if anyone saw what he thought he just did…

x-x-x

Sora didn't spend much time with his friends after school, wanting to go back home and mope about his bedroom. He didn't know what he was going to do about his newest discovery. All he knew was that he had to hide it from everyone, especially his teachers since freaks weren't allowed in Illusiopolis High.

"Oh god, what would my parents say?" Sora whispered, more and more worried with each passing second.

Why was this happening to him of all people? Why not Selphie, Tidus or even Wakka? Their parents didn't give a damn about those different. Sora's were another story. They couldn't stand them. They down right loathed them. But he was their son. They wouldn't hate him just because he developed a sudden skill, would they? Right, that couldn't happen. Parents didn't abandon their children for such futile reasons. If they didn't want monsters in their houses, they didn't make children. Many discovered hidden powers during their first years into adolescence so not having skills at birth didn't mean the kids were normal. Or would stay normal their whole life.

"That sucks," Sora moaned, pulling at his hair and feeling miserable. It was just his luck that he changed later than the other kids.

"What are you doing, talking to yourself like that?" Elena asked, stopping in front of her son's door that was wide open. How come he hadn't shut it?

"Oh, err, there is this test tomorrow and I'm just really worried about it," the brunet said, his lie failing to convince his mother, who just scowled at him.

"I hate lies, Sora, you know that. Whatever's happening can't be a good enough reason to tell lies," the blonde woman scolded her child.

"_If only you knew,_" the brunet thought.

"Anyway, dinner's almost ready so go wash your hands and come downstairs," Elena ordered as she left.

The brunet heaved a sigh, feeling relieved somehow. He still had to find something so that he wouldn't make plants bloom whenever he touched them.

x-x-x

Really, if anyone asked him, the week, so far, had been atrocious. First the plant issue, then the spiders issue, after that the damn tree issue and now that asshole who had found it a good idea to give him a black eye and split lip. If there was one thing Sora hated more than freaks, it was bullies. Unfortunately, he wasn't strong enough to defend himself when bulky kids like Seifer and his gang decided to make a few minutes of his life a living hell.

"Jesus, what happened to your face, kid?!" The nurse exclaimed as soon as the boy stepped inside her office, holding a damp handkerchief to his bleeding lip. She motioned him to sit on a chair while she gathered supplies to treat his injuries. He obeyed like a good little boy, finding his fight with Seifer had drained all the energy his frail body had had previously.

All in all, he was still really lucky. It seemed the blond bully went easy on him. His lip and eye didn't hurt as much as they did a short while ago. The brunet closed his eyes for a moment before they shot open at the sound of scissors and boxes falling to the ground. The nurse was looking at him like he'd grown another head and rudely pointing at his face.

"What is it?" He asked curtly, already getting defensive.

"Do – Don't move from here," was all the woman said before bolting out of her office, the door slamming behind her.

The teen frowned and quickly searched for a mirror. He couldn't be looking that badly hurt, could he? He quickly found what he was looking for and what he saw made his blood run cold. The injuries from his fight were healing right before his eyes. The bruise was starting to disappear and his split lip was completely healed. Sora looked down at his handkerchief to make sure it had blood on it and when his suspicions were confirmed, he looked back at his reflection and scowled.

He was so screwed and it was all because of Seifer. The nurse found out and was probably telling the headmaster, who would call his parents and most likely yell at them for deceiving him. But really, no one knew of his ability, not even him until a few days ago.

And so, Sora wasn't surprised when he found himself in the headmaster's office an hour later, his parents sitting beside him with pale faces.

"You must be wrong. Our son isn't like _that_," Elena insisted, her last word sounding like she was puking right there. It made her child tense.

"Are you implying I was lied to? The way I see it, you are the liars," the old man scolded her, his glare fierce and unforgiving. "You knew abnormal people aren't allowed here but you still enrolled _that_," he said, nodding his head towards Sora when mentioning him. At that moment, the brunet would have disappeared into thin air if he were able to. That would be more useful than that stupid healing or whatever it was ability. "I'm sorry but you'll have to find another school for him. I can't keep him here."

"We understand," Sora's father said, standing up. His wife stood to her feet as well, her hand grabbing Sora's wrist but quickly letting go of it, as is it had burned her.

The small family left the school, not saying a single word. Sora couldn't remember the last time he'd been so scared. He didn't know what would happen once they were back home. It was painfully clear his parents were mad and he knew their anger was directed at him, which wasn't fair since he hadn't asked for that power in the first place.

The deafening silence was about to make him go mad, until his mother spoke.

"Have I ever told you about your aunt?" The woman asked in a clipped voice. When Sora realized she couldn't see him shake his head, he told her that no, he couldn't remember his mother mentioning she had a sister.

Elena added nothing else and kept looking at the road. Once at their house, the grown-ups exchanged a few words before nodding and turning towards their son, who looked like he was going to be sick; which he truly thought he was going to be.

"You can't stay here. We're sending you to your aunt's," Tseng, the brunet's father, stated before leaving for the living room. The teen's eyes widened.

"What?" He asked with a shaky voice.

"You heard your father, Sora. You can't stay here. You know how we can't stand those monsters out there. Unfortunately, you're one of them now."

With that said, the blonde woman went upstairs, soon exiting her bedroom with a suitcase in hand, telling Sora he could take it to pack his things, which he had to do immediately. The teen took the suitcase with him, not believing what was happening to him. This couldn't be real. Soon, he'd wake up and discover this was all a nightmare he shouldn't be thinking about any more. But even after making bruises appear on his left arm where he pinched himself to wake up – they didn't stay for too long, though –, it dawned on him that this was real. Painfully real.

So that was it? They were putting their hatred towards these monsters before they own child?

Just like that, he was being kicked out of the house he'd grown up in for sixteen years but luckily for him, his parents had been nice enough to give him directions to his aunt's and money so that he could use public transport. It made him want to laugh and he truly did once he thought back on it in the bus driving him to Twilight Town, a mere fifteen minutes ride from Illusiopolis. But it surely wasn't a happy laugh.

x-x-x

His short journey found him standing in front of a house with a small garden on each side of the short pathway leading to the door. The teen was shaking but he didn't know if that was caused by the cold or by nerves. That woman was a freaking stranger! What if she was a psycho? If he hadn't met her before, that meant she was surely one of those monsters. And he knew all too well how they could be. His parents kept repeating every day that they were evil.

Did that make him evil too? He didn't think he was a bad guy but after the recent events in his life, he wasn't sure of anything any more.

Taking a deep, calming breath, the brunet summoned up his courage and stepped up to the door and pushed his index finger on the doorbell. He waited for a while, hearing someone yell inside the house. A few seconds later, he heard steps approaching and saw the door open abruptly.

Before him stood a tall woman – pretty young, it seemed, she couldn't be older than his mom – with long, dark hair and her brown eyes were staring at him, emotionless. Then, something seemed to light in them before the stranger shook her head with a disappointed sigh.

"Oh man, not again," she muttered, putting a hand on Sora's shoulder and pulling him inside the house with such strength the brunet thought she'd end up breaking something. "You can put your suitcase here, if you want," she explained. It wasn't necessary as she took it from him and put it herself next to the door.

She then walked in a room on her left, waving Sora over. The teen obeyed and took small steps inside what looked like to be the living room. It was nicely decorated, he could admit that much. It felt comfy too.

"Sit down," the woman commanded a bit harshly, though it wasn't directed at the kid.

"Are you… My aunt?" Sora finally asked after he took a seat on the couch, his hands balled into fists and resting on his knees.

Maybe it was a bit too late to ask that now that he was inside.

"Yeah. I'm Tifa. You must be Sora," Tifa said with a small, apologetic smile; though Sora didn't know what she was sorry for.

"Did my mom call you?" He asked, wondering how she could know his name when they had never met.

"No, she didn't need to. You're the only son she kept, after all," the dark-haired woman stated with a small shrug. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Wait a minute," Sora exclaimed, frowning. "What do you mean by the only son she kept?"

Now, she looked really embarrassed and spent a few seconds opening and closing her mouth, lost for words.

"Great, she really didn't make this any easier," Tifa moaned, a hand running through her hair.

Behind him, Sora heard someone else coming in their direction and faintly wondered if it was his aunt's husband.

"Who is it?" A young voice asked.

Okay, so it wasn't a man. Or a least a grown-up one.

Sora turned around and almost chocked on air when his eyes landed on an almost perfect copy of himself. Apparently, the other boy was just as surprised as himself because his big, blue eyes doubled in size too.

"Well, Sora, meet your twin, Roxas," Tifa introduced the two.

That was it. Too much had happened for him to keep his head cool any longer. Sora shot to his feet, pushed past Roxas and left the house in a rush. He ran through streets, not bothering to try and remember the way to his aunt's house. He'd rather get lost and die right there than get back to that damned house anyway.

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_It was a bit short but that's only the beginning. Also, don't worry if you're a bit confused. For those of you who have already read some of my sto__ries, you probably know that things will be explained pretty soon. For those who don't know me yet, well, don't worry. Everything will be explained later. XD I missed writing in English sooo much! I was a bit frustrated I had to search for some words but I guess I need some time before it goes smoothly again. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this! And let's not forget reviews are love. ;)  
_


	2. New acquaintances

Disclaimer : Kingdom Hearts and its characters do not belong to me.

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_Chapter 02 :__ New acquaintances_

Parks were great places to be when one felt down. They were usually full of kids running and laughing while parents watched them with a smile. These places were truly lively. But at that time of day, Sora found the park near his aunt's house empty and utterly silent. For once, that was fine by him. He wasn't in the mood anyway.

A twin. He had a twin and he had never known. Why was he –Roxas, was it? – living with Tifa? Was he a monster too? Did that mean his parents had already abandoned a child, just like they abandoned him? How cruel was that?

Sora frowned. He had to admit that his parents weren't as loving as they seemed at first. He thought they were really nice, until he changed and they thought it would be best to get rid of him. It truly hurt to be at the end of their hatred; that was probably what they felt towards him now. The brunet wasn't sure it could be possible for people to like someone one day and then loathe them the next, but his folks had proved him that this was indeed possible.

Sora stared dejectedly at his feet, lightly brushing the dirt under the swing he was sitting on, wondering what would happen to him now.

Unknown to him, a figure approached him from behind, studying him attentively from head to toes before they whispered in the brunet's ear :

"What a lovely neck you have here."

A finger brushed against the side of the teen's neck as the boy swivelled around abruptly, ready to punch whoever had dared touch him in such a disgusting manner. A tall, lanky redhead stood before him, his hands raised to show he didn't mean any harm.

"Whoa, calm down, kid. It was just a joke," the stranger told him with a smirk.

He didn't look much older than Sora; maybe by two years, three at most. His wild, red hair was what caught Sora's eye first, then the brunet's gaze lowered to look into green eyes sparkling with mischief.

"What do you want?" The younger spat, his body tense and his feet ready to take him far from the other boy.

"Nothing," was the short reply the stranger gave him as he sat on one of the swings. "You looked kinda lonely. I just wanted to tease you a bit."

"Well, tease someone else," Sora replied with a glare that he hopped was intimidating. But judging by the taller guy's reaction, it didn't seem to be.

"Who? You're the only kid here," the redhead laughed, his smirk turning into a big, goofy grin. "Name's Axel," he added, holding a hand out to the blue-eyed teenager.

Sora hesitated for a moment before he actually shook Axel's hand.

"Sora."

"So, Sora, do you live around here? I don't recall seeing you around. And I would remember you with that cute face of yours."

"I'm not cute," Sora replied, not knowing if it was anger or embarrassment that was making his face turn red. "And no, you wouldn't know me. I just moved out here. Kinda."

"You kinda moved out? I'm not sure I follow but it's alright," the green-eyed boy said, shrugging his shoulders. "Are you a casual? I don't sense anything around you."

"Casual?" The brunet repeated, confused.

"Yeah. You don't have any ability, do you?"

Now, that changed the whole atmosphere around the two.

"How would you know if I were a freak?"

"Freak?" Axel asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Err, well, _freaks_ can sense other freaks' auras. For example, if a Witch sees me, she can tell I'm a Chocobo because of my aura. You see what I mean?"

"But I can't sense anything…" Sora told the other without thinking.

"How long have you been a _freak_?"

"I'm not like that!" The brunet protested with balled fists trembling at his sides.

"Hey, make up your mind. Either you have powers or you don't," the redhead retorted, his patience thinning quickly. "And just so you know, I'd highly recommend that you stop calling us names 'cause everyone is not as nice as me. Some will kick the shit out of you if you dare think they're monsters."

"I don't care anymore," the brunet whispered, hugging himself. "Look, I have to leave."

Axel watched as the brunet turned around and left, feeling that the kid was hiding many things, and wanting to help him somehow.

x-x-x

Sora returned to Tifa's place, closing the door behind him slowly as to not make any noise. Unfortunately, the dark-haired woman exited a room and went straight to him.

"Oh God, Sora! You've left for so long, I was worried to death!" She scolded him though the tone of her voice wasn't really angry; it sounded like she was worried more than anything.

"You don't even know me," Sora stated before he could stop himself. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that," he quickly added.

"It's okay. You've had a bad day, I'm not exactly expecting you to be hyper. But don't push your luck, alright?" She warned, shaking a finger at him. The brunet nodded in understanding. "Good. I think Roxas is in the guest room. You'll be using it. It's not really big but I think you'll like it in there. Go help him prepare the room. I'll call you when dinner's ready," Tifa told the younger, patting him lightly on the head before she went back into what he assumed was the kitchen.

He looked to his right, towards the staircase leading upstairs. He climbed them, and then passed several closed doors until he spotted Roxas in the last room, at the end of the corridor.

The blond was changing the bed sheets, the old ones lying in a heap at the foot of the bed while fresh ones were put on the mattress. Roxas seemed to have difficulties so Sora joined him and gave him a hand, to which the blond boy smiled gratefully. They ended the task quickly before beginning to empty Sora's suitcase to put his stuff in the room.

"So… How has it been with _them_?" The blond eventually asked, his voice light even though the brunet was sure there was a hint of bitterness in it.

"Fine… Really fine," Sora replied, putting two books inside the drawer of the bedside table.

"Until they kicked you out too," Roxas muttered, a frown on his face. The brunet said nothing and turned his back towards his twin to hide his hurt expression from him. That didn't go unnoticed by the blond boy. "Look, I don't really have a good opinion of them and you being here won't change that. I have nothing against you liking them and I'm not going to force my opinion on you, so, well…" The blond began, lost for words after a while.

"I won't force mine on you either, so don't worry," the other whispered, taking his small plant. It was funny how he left pictures of him and his family but couldn't leave his plant behind. He cautiously put it next to the room's only window. It was huge, though, and from there, Sora could see the forest at the south of the city, the sun setting far away and casting an orangey light on the city. "It's really beautiful," he said, his gaze distant.

"Yeah. You'll like it here. The town's great, and so are the people. It might be a bit difficult to blend in at first but you'll grow to like everyone here," Roxas reassured him with a small pat on his back.

There was an eerie silence for a moment while the brothers kept placing the brunet's stuff here and there.

"How long have you been living here?" Sora asked tentatively, afraid his question might upset his twin.

"I was a baby when they brought me here, so I'd say it's been sixteen years since Tifa took me in."

"Oh. Right," the other replied, somehow embarrassed now. He didn't know why, though. Maybe because he was the lucky child who got to know his real parents?

"I suppose you have some skills since you're here. What are you? I can't figure it out yet," the blond asked, his shyness gone and now replaced by pure curiousness.

"You're the second one to ask me that," Sora said, scowling.

Knowing he was a monster didn't mean he accepted it.

Just as Roxas was about to say something – he probably wanted to ask him about the other person he had just mentioned – they heard Tifa yell something from the kitchen while footsteps echoed in the corridor. Soon, someone knocked on the door of the guestroom and entered.

"Hey, Rox. Do you think your aunt will-" the visitor said, freezing when his eyes met Sora's. The brunet's body tensed too as they locked eyes.

"How come he's here?" Sora asked bluntly, folding his arms across his chest.

"What? You know Axel?" The blond asked, looking from his friend to his twin.

"I met the kid in the park a while ago," the redhead answered, seeing as Sora had decided he'd keep his plant company. The poor thing needed it, anyway. The small trip and rough treatment had broken many stems.

"Well, he's my twin," Roxas explained quickly, motioning to Sora.

"You mean the one Tifa's been mentioning all this time?" Axel asked, looking at the brunet, who was brushing the tip of his fingers against the leaves. The redhead's eyes widened when he saw the stems heal. "Whoa, amazing!" He exclaimed, running to Sora's side to watch him. "Do it again!"

"Do what again?" The brunet asked, raising a curious eyebrow. Axel pointed to a damaged flower and made the younger touch it. The latter let an indignant "hey" out but his attention was soon focused on the healing flower.

"So, you're a Magician; a Healer, it seems," Roxas wondered aloud, his index finger taping his chin.

"He's like Naminé. She'll be delighted when she hears this!" Axel said, getting more and more excited. "Man, Sora, the guys from school will totally adore you!"

"School?" The brunet asked, unsure.

"Well, duh. You weren't planning on spending the rest of your life in this room, were you?" Roxas teased, elbowing him in the ribs. "Aunty will enrol you in our high school so you'll be attending classes with us soon."

"But I don't want that," Sora protested, shaking his head vigorously. "I don't want to go where there are so many monsters!"

"Hey-" Axel began, only to be interrupted by his friend.

"You'll have to, Sora. Actually, I think it'd be really good for you. That way, you'll see how wrong our parents were about people like us," the blond stated, frowning a bit. "I know they don't like those who are different from them since I've heard our aunt saying that many times, and I've never understood why they thought this. I've made so many great friends who are from several species that I can't imagine life without them."

"Rox, that's so touching," Axel declared, giving a bear hug to the blond, who almost chocked. Sora winced when he heard Roxas' spine make a popping sound.

"As you can see, Chocobos are freaking strong," the blond said, glaring at the tall redhead as he rubbed his back that was now probably hurting.

"Sorry, you know I don't hurt people on purpose," Axel apologized, lifting a hand to pat the younger's shoulder but the latter quickly dodged it for fear of getting something broken.

"Geez, be careful if you know you're hurting people," Roxas scolded him, scowling.

Sora watched the pair as they bickered playfully and couldn't help but smile a bit. Maybe, just maybe, he could get used to his new life in Twilight Town.

x-x-x

The next week, Sora was able to attend school in Twilight Town High. Kids were staring at him with such intensity that he was beginning to think something was seriously wrong with him. Never before had he been so self-conscious. Unlike many of the teens, he was scrawny and awfully short. Roxas wasn't much taller but he still managed to make him look like a dwarf.

During the brunet's first few days at Tifa's, he discovered that he, like everyone with abilities, could determine what species someone belonged to without even trying. He now felt the aura Axel had told him about on his first day in the town, and he still didn't understand how he knew what a Magician's aura felt like when no one told him what it was supposed to feel like. He just knew it like it was written in his DNA. Strange, but true.

He counted a large amount of Witches and Wizards among the students, even a few Magicians like himself. Chocobos like Axel were pretty rare, it seemed, for he only met two, the redhead included. Somewhere in a corner of the campus, he spotted a group – or should he say 'pack'? – of Werewolves generally ignoring everyone passing them except Axel, the other Chocobo and Roxas. They glared at everyone else.

Obviously, Werewolves only talked to their species, which made Roxas one of them.

"How come your species are getting along so well? I mean, I've heard Chocobos were just big birds so wouldn't wolves want to eat them?" Sora asked innocently. Roxas and Axel exchanged a look, and then burst out laughing at the brunet's question.

"God, Sora, you're too much," the redhead said once he calmed down. "We're not animals, you know. Besides, it's not like we actually get along. It's more like a form of respect."

"You saw on more than one occasion how easy it would be for Axel to kill me," Roxas muttered from the other side of the brunet, his hands tucked in his pockets.

"So, Werewolves do nothing to Chocobos only because Chocobos are stronger?" Sora asked, looking at the two boys next to him.

"You could say that," the redhead replied with a small shrug.

The three walked to class, Axel soon leaving them since he wasn't in their class; being friends with a senior wasn't always convenient. As they walked, Roxas showed Sora around, telling him where the restrooms were, what places he had to avoid – because some bullies had decided they were their private territories or something. They eventually entered a classroom in which Sora learned he'd have History. Great, he just loved the class already.

"Hey, Roxas," someone greeted as the twins entered. It was a cute, auburn-haired girl with the most adorable smile. Sora couldn't help but smile back at her even though she wasn't looking at him. Yet. "Oh, is he Sora?" She asked.

"_Sweet, she knows my name,_" the brunet thought. He had to be the luckiest guy on Earth.

"Kairi, stop it already. He's new so he's easy prey. I don't see what is so fun about bewitching a newbie," Roxas complained, snapping his fingers in front of Sora's nose. The brunet quickly blinked, looking at the blond curiously. "Sora, this is Kairi. She's a Mermaid so you'd better be careful or she'll make you do whatever comes to her mind."

"Mermaid?" Sora repeated, looking at Kairi once again and finding that his heart was pounding hard in his ribcage.

"She bewitches people with her eyes but most of the time, she uses her voice. It's more powerful," his twin told him, grabbing his wrist to pull him down a few rows of tables. "We'll sit at the back of the room because that's where I usually sit."

"That's fine by me," the brunet said, taking a seat next to Roxas.

He glanced at the pupils and found many with the same aura as himself. He idly wondered if every Magician was a Healer or if it was just him. He hadn't thought about it much until now. The week had been crazy so it was no wonder he was still pretty confused. He had needed some time to adapt to his new life, now surrounded by species – as they liked to call themselves. He was still not feeling comfortable around them but once he understood how nice Axel truly was, he began to think that Roxas was right when he said his parents were wrong. Roxas himself was made of gold and Sora could say the same about Tifa. After all, she ended up raising a kid that wasn't hers and years later, another one was sent to her and she took him in without hesitation. How many humans would have done the same?

"Oh, look, it's Naminé. Remember we talked about her?" He heard Roxas say on his right.

Sora glanced at his twin before looking at the teen that had just entered the classroom. Long, blonde hair glistened in the sunlight as the girl searched for her friend – who happened to be Roxas – and walked towards him.

"Hey, Naminé," the blond greeted her with a smile.

"Good morning, Roxas," Naminé said with a quick nod and a sweet smile. She turned her head and looked at his twin. "You do look alike," she realized, glancing from one brother to the other. "I've heard you're a Healer too?"

"That's correct," Sora answered, nodding. "So… Are all Magician like us or..?"

"No, Healer is a kind of Magician. For example, Olette right there – " The blonde pointed at a brunette talking animatedly with two boys. " Is a Spell-breaker. She usually sees about ten kids during lunch so that she can remove any bad spells that were cast on them. You can imagine how much people like her," Naminé joked, laughing lightly.

"Can you heal injuries?" Sora asked, thinking he would be close to the girl very fast.

"I wish I could. Healers are as rare as Chocobos. The only one I know who can heal people is living pretty far from here. Most of the Healers can heal plants at best."

"You too?"

"Nah, Naminé's got her own unique ability," Roxas butted in, smiling proudly at his friend. "She can repair objects. And I mean _any _object. Vase, plate, phone, pants. Ask her and she'll repair anything."

"Roxas, that's really embarrassing, you know," the blonde whispered, her face growing redder and redder.

"It's true, though. You trained really hard to achieve that, so it's only logical that someone brags about it in your place since you're too modest."

Right then, their teacher entered and asked the kids to sit down. Naminé excused herself and went to sit next to Kairi, greeting her discreetly. Sora was quickly introduced to the class by his teacher before class started. At first, it didn't seem that different from his classes back in Illusiopolis, until Sora looked up and saw that someone was making a pen fly and write obscenities on the ceiling.

Yeah, it wasn't that different.

x-x-x

Lunch promised to be somewhat difficult for Sora. From what Roxas had told him, they'd be eating with a bunch of friends; in fact, Roxas' other friends Sora had yet to meet. He was glad when he spotted Axel, who was walking towards their table, grinning as soon as he saw the twins. Next to him were four boys. Sora recognized one of them as the guy the Pack – he decided to call the group of Werevolves that – accepted. The guy had light brown hair styled like a rock star's and had the aura of a Chocobo.

"_Figures,_" Sora thought, his gaze moving to the next boy.

Pink. That was the colour the guy's hair seemed to be but if you took a closer look, you could see it was a brown-looking pink; a strange colour, really. Sora made sure to be careful around him since he was a Sorcerer. They liked to curse people even though their spells were rarely that bad. The gloomy, emo boy with bluish hair next to him looked like he hated the whole world and was glaring at anyone who came too close to him. Sora couldn't help the shiver that went down his spine. He blinked a few times, though, surprised, when he realized the boy had no aura. He was just a plain Human.

"_Since when do I think humans are plain?!_" The brunet exclaimed mentally, shaking his head lightly.

Finally, there was the last boy. He had silver hair, aquamarine eyes and a face to kill for. Perfect skin covered the perfectly shaped body that moved so perfectly well. The boy walked graciously – well, for a boy, that is – glancing every once in a while at people he passed. Soon, Sora's curious stare turned into a fierce glare directed at the silver-haired boy.

His aura screemed Vampire.

"Hey, guys! Sorry it took us so long to get here," Axel told the brothers as he took a seat next to Roxas. "Marluxia got scolded by the nurse again."

"What did you do this time? No, wait, I don't want you to answer that actually," the blond asked before changing his mind. "Since everyone's here, I'll do the introductions. Guys, meet my twin, Sora."

"Oh, he's your brother who stayed with those close-minded parents of yours, right?" The pink-haired boy asked. Sora made to speak but refrained from doing so after realizing it was only natural for species to dislike his parents.

"That's correct. Sora, meet Marluxia," Roxas continued, pointing at the lavender-eyed boy in front of him, who smiled at the brunet. "Demyx, Zexion and Riku," the blond said, pointing at the Chocobo, Human and Vampire respectively.

"Pointing is rude, you know," Riku, the silver-haired teen, stated as he took a sip of his iced tea. "But I'll let it slip this time."

"Yeah, 'cause we all know how fearsome you can become when you're mad," Axel snickered from beside Roxas, his smirk making Riku frown. "Stop being such a pussy. We're at school!"

"Anyway," the rock star wannabe interrupted his friends. "It's really nice to meet you, Sora. Roxas told us about everything we had to know about you, so we know how hard it must be for you to end up here so suddenly. Don't be afraid to ask any of us for help, okay?"

"That's another particularity about Chocobos. They can't help but make friends everywhere they go," Roxas whispered to the brunet, who didn't really hear him since he was too busy with the glaring contest that had begun between Riku and himself. "Is something wrong with you two?" The blond asked, eventually realizing his brother didn't seem that friendly with the aquamarine-eyed boy.

"How should I know? He's been throwing daggers at me since he's seen me," Riku muttered, scowling.

"You didn't tell me you were friends with a Vampire, Roxas," Sora said, turning his gaze towards his twin. "Have you never heard about grandma?"

"I have but I don't think it's a good enough reason to think every Vampire is bad. Riku, for example, is a really nice guy."

"How can you be so sure?" The brunet muttered, looking at Riku again.

The silver-haired boy simply shook his head and began to talk with Demyx, who was more than glad to talk about something else. The rest of lunch period went peacefully, only a few glares interrupting the somewhat friendly atmosphere at the teens' table. But all in all, no one was hurt so Roxas decided it all went well. What worried him a bit, though, was his twin's reaction towards Riku. Sure, it was understandable that the brunet wouldn't think highly of Vampires, but he thought that Sora would be mature enough to not make their grandmother's case a generality. Then again, their parents helped him a great deal having such opinions.

"This is so complicated," the blond moaned, pouting at nothing in particular.

Next to him, Axel threw him a curious glance. "What is?" He asked.

"Sora. Anyone can tell he hates Riku's guts and I really don't like that."

"No way, they don't get along?" The redhead asked, blinking in surprise. Roxas, for his part, gave him a blank look. "C'mon, don't give me that look. I was just trying to chase that dark aura around you. You know I get depressed when you're depressed."

"Because of the special bond between Chocobos and Werevolves, right?"

"Exactly," Axel stated, giving his younger friend a one-armed hug. "You might know as well as me that it's just bullshit, but believe me when I say you being down makes me feel down myself."

"You sound like a sap, you know that?" Roxas asked, having a hard time repressing the smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Admit you like that."

The blue-eyed boy just smirked at that and got up from the floor. They were both waiting for their next class to begin, having ditched the one they were supposed to go to. They went towards their respective classrooms and waited before the door, slightly wincing when the shrill bell rang throughout the entire school. Pupils exited rooms and quickly filled the corridors, chatting and laughing all the while. Roxas soon spotted his twin and waved at him with as much cheerfulness as possible. The brunet had been in a pretty bad mood since the lunch fiasco, and the blond was dead set on changing that.

Unfortunately, his attempts were all in vain for at the end of the day, Sora was as moody as he had been at the beginning of the afternoon. Axel and Roxas just followed him in the streets, going back home. The two friends mostly talked among themselves and let the brunet brood alone after it was painfully obvious he didn't want to talk.

"Hey, would you look at that," someone sneered in front of the small group.

They were in a small, quiet street and were the only ones in it; except for the group of three kids standing in front of them. Hearing the voice made Sora's head snap up and stop walking abruptly. He frowned at the blond boy wearing a beanie, recognizing his trademark smirk – and scar.

"What the hell are you going here, Seifer?" Sora spat, looking at the taller boy like he was something disgusting.

"Hey, the town's not yours. I do have a right to be here," Seifer replied, crossing his arms while his sidekicks simply stood by his sides, their gazes on Sora only. "Now, what are _you_ doing here?"

"The town's not yours either," the brunet said, feeling less and less confident with each passing second. He did remember the nasty shiner the boy had given him not so long ago, and he wasn't keen on getting another one anytime soon.

"Well, I don't like you being in the same street as me," Seifer said, bent on picking on him. It seemed like he had nothing better to do at the moment, much do Sora's dismay.

"Who do you think you are, you punk?" Axel eventually intervened, stepping in front of the brunet. "Leave him alone if you don't want to be in trouble."

"Trouble? I think you've got it wrong, you clown," the scarred guy stated, pointing a finger at Axel, who just raised his eyebrows.

"Dude, you should listen to him. Seriously," Roxas warned, joining the redhead, looking at Seifer like he was dumb.

"Guys, stop it, please," Sora said, looking at each of them worriedly. He didn't like where this was going.

"Yeah, for once shorty's not being stupid," Seifer declared proudly.

His pride, however, was short-lived for as soon as the words left his mouth, he was hit in the stomach by Roxas, to Sora's utter surprise. The beanie boy fell to the ground, his hands clutching his stomach.

"Leave him alone," Roxas stated before he turned around and grabbed Sora by his elbow and dragged him elsewhere. It was only when he had calmed down that he asked : "Who the hell was that jerk?"

"Seifer. It's thanks to him that I ended up here," the brunet said remorsefully. He blinked a few times and quickly added : "I – I mean, it's not – "

"Don't worry. I know what you meant," his twin reassured him with a gentle smile that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "Really, that guy was lucky I'm quick to react. Axel would have killed him."

"I seriously would have," the redhead said, cracking his knuckles for emphasis.

"Does it have something to do with him being a Chocobo?" Sora asked, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. The two other boys nodded. "You really are a freak."

"Hey, stop calling me that!" Axel exclaimed, thinking the brunet was being mean but quickly realizing he was just teasing him. "Midget."

"That's a really low blow, you know that?" Sora told him with a cute pout – which wasn't meant to be cute, of course.

"Well, I do know about something that has to do with the word "blow" and that is –" The redhead began with a mischievous smile.

"Alright, stop right there," Roxas intervened, smacking the older's arm.

"What? What did that mean?" The brunet asked, genuinely ignoring what Axel was about to say.

Roxas heaved a long sigh. "Such a pure soul doesn't deserve to hang out with people like you, Axel."

x-x-x

Once he got home, Sora went directly in his room and locked himself up for a while. He couldn't believe he had seen Seifer in Twilight Town. Did that jerk hate his guts to the point of following him there? After thinking calmly, the brunet realized that this town wasn't so far from where he had lived before. It shouldn't have been such a surprise to see Seifer. But still, that fact bugged him to no end. Now that the blond knew he had moved out to Twilight Town, there was no way he would let him off that easily, especially after his twin landed a blow on him and ridiculed him in front of his lackeys.

In short : he was dead meat.

"Shit, why do these things always happen to me of all people?" Sora whined, pacing in his room like a caged animal – which he truly felt like at this moment. He came to an abrupt stop when a black spot on his wall caught his attention and made him scream like a little girl.

Pride was an alien concept every time a certain eight-legged animal was in the same room as him.

"Sora? What's wrong?" He heard Roxas ask from the other side of the door, his voice sounding worried. The blond stepped back when the lock was undone. His twin rushed out of his bedroom to hide behind Roxas. "You're freaking me out," the blond stated.

"Roxas, you never told me there were such huge spiders in here!" Sora exclaimed, pointing at said spider.

"Wha-" The blond began, only to choke on air when he saw the big, black, hairy thing. "Holy shit, that's some big monster – not," Roxas said as he walked inside the room and grabbed the animal to throw it out the window like it was a mere bug. "Seriously, Sora, it was not that big and you're afraid of it? What would you do if you saw the ones Axel always finds at his grandma's?"

"Well I don't want to see them, thank you very much," the brunet replied, involuntarily shivering. He brought his right hand to his left arm and rubbed it. "I can't help it if they scare me so much."

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry if I upset you, I didn't mean to," Roxas apologized, patting his brother on the shoulder and making him jump. "Hey, are you sure you're alright?" He asked, worried.

"It's just that… I'm…" Sora sighed, annoyed that he couldn't even finish a sentence. He took a deep breath and tried again. "I feel uneasy knowing that Seifer knows where he can find me. That guy beat me up before I came here and I bet he'll gladly do it again after what you did to him. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you stood up for me. It's just that he'll make my life a living hell now. What should I do?" The brunet rambled, walking in circles once again while Roxas watched him do so.

"Firstly, you should calm down. Secondly, as long as you're with either me or Axel, nothing will happen to you. In fact, as long as you're with one of our friends, you'll be safe. I promise."

"But what if he somehow gets me when I'm alone?" Sora hated how weak he sounded at that moment but he was genuinely scared of Seifer. The black-eye was only a warning, he knew it. He didn't want to know what would happen to him if Seifer got serious.

"Well, if he somehow manages to do anything to you, Axel will take care of the rest."

If that was meant to reassure Sora, it didn't work. But at least, that made him laugh a bit.

x-x-x

After the Seifer incident, things took a strange turn. Axel had explained the situation to his little gang and they went as far as to make a planning, taking shifts looking after the brunet who, by this time, felt so ashamed he could have died of embarrassment.

"Seriously, he won't go as far as to come inside my school," Sora told Zexion, who was standing beside him and followed him like a shadow would, without a word. The boy heaved a sigh that was a bit too long for Sora's tastes and shook his head.

"Listen, I don't know what you did to make this guy so angry at you, but I think you shouldn't take this so lightly," the Human explained calmly. Maybe a bit too calmly. "Trust me, you wouldn't want a bad surprise coming from him."

"And… What makes you think that?" Sora asked cautiously. The stern look he received made him understand that it was a question he shouldn't have asked.

"It's none of your business. Now, come on so we don't end up being late."

Alright, so Zexion being a Human didn't exactly make them the best of friends, unlike what the brunet had thought at first. He was still a bit unnerved being surrounded by so many species, but knowing there was a Human among Roxas' gang had made him feel less nervous. But Zexion being, well, Zexion didn't make it easy to get along with the emo boy.

Sora followed him silently, mentally taking note that mentioning the slate blue-haired teen's past was to be avoided at all cost – at least, he thought it was what the older boy said was none of his business. He entered his Sciences class and sat down next to Kairi, the only teen he knew, apart from Zexion of course.

"Hey, Sora," the girl's voice sang happily, her pink lips stretching to form a warm smile that the brunet found absolutely irresistible.

"Hello, Kairi," he replied, almost turning into a puddle of mush right there. Man, he wasn't entirely sure but he thought that, somewhere in the corner of his mind, a voice was screaming at him to not let her voice bewitch him. But Kairi looked like an angel; she just couldn't be a bad person.

"So, have you done your homework for this class?" The redhead asked innocently, batting her long eyelashes at him. "You see, I kind of lost my paper and can't find it anywhere."

"Don't worry about that. I'll let you take a look at mine," Sora replied good-heartedly, handing his paper to the girl, who accepted it gladly, only to watch in irritation as it was snatched from her fingertips by none other that Zexion.

"Don't let her trick you like that," the boy said from behind Sora's seat, gently smacking him behind the head.

"Wha-what?" The brunet asked, lost. "Hey, what are you doing with that?!" He exclaimed, reaching to take his homework back from the Human's hands.

"Do you really want to know the whole story?" The teen asked with an amused smile as his eyes travelled from Kairi to Sora.

The Mermaid clicked her tongue disapprovingly and decided to examine her fingernails, now ignoring the two boys. As for Sora, he had a vague idea about what must have happened and just offered a small "thanks" to Zexion. The rest of the lesson went smoothly, except for Kairi getting detention for not handing her paper and throwing an accusing glare at Zexion. All in all, it went well.

"Sora, how was your day?" Axel asked, sliding an arm around the younger's shoulder and hugging him close to his side.

"Fine," the brunet answered, pushing against the redhead's side to get more space between them.

"We, being Roxas and myself, were thinking about paying Naminé a quick visit. Poor girl got the flu or something like that, I heard," the lanky teen said with a playful smile. "You joining us?"

"Why not," the blue-eyed boy answered, shrugging his shoulders.

They joined Roxas at the building's gates and walked to the blonde girl's house. It was a twenty minutes walk from the school to Naminé's place and Sora took his time taking in the other side of town. Unlike where Tifa lived, here were many trees lining the streets, giving it a welcoming, warm feel. For a moment, Sora thought that it would have been nice living here but quickly reminded himself of the large number of spiders that were probably living in the foliage.

How not charming.

Naminé's house was, to say the least, quite big. It looked like a small castle, or a very big mansion depending on one's point of view. Its red brick walls melted perfectly with the town's colours. The place was a bit secluded though. One had to go through a very small forest to get to the gates.

Roxas didn't hesitate before pushing a button, a quiet buzz ringing from within the device. A curtain at a window on the first floor was pushed aside as their friend peered outside before appearing at the front door a moment later, the girl motioning for the boys to enter.

"The gate isn't locked," she called, waving at them before coughing loudly.

"You shouldn't be outside if you're sick," Sora scolded her, though the tone of his voice wasn't that angry. Just really worried.

"I'm not that sick, it's okay," Naminé replied, stepping to the side to let her guests inside.

The four teens were in a large hall, the walls painted a dark brown colour with small golden patterns here and there. Sora noticed a few paintings hanging on the walls but didn't get enough time to study them because the girl was guiding them to another room. It was decorated the same way as the main hall but it was smaller and more fitting to receive guests.

"You're alone?" Axel asked, raising a curious eyebrow as he took place on an armchair next to the sofa, on which Naminé chose to sit. Roxas joined Axel, sitting on the chair next to his, and Sora sat beside the blonde girl.

"My parents won't be home until late," she explained, shrugging. "I'm really not that sick but mom insisted that I stay home for the day."

"And you being a good and smart girl, you listened to mommy," the redhead teased. Naminé laughed softly, silently agreeing.

"I'm glad you guys paid me a visit, really. It's lonely being in such a big house with no one to talk to," the blonde girl said, smiling softly.

"Do you want us to help you with something?" Sora asked, ready to stand up and do whatever she told him to do.

"It's okay, Sora," she replied, her hands coming to take one of the brunet's. "You're such a sweet guy."

"They say that all the time," the brunet joked, his other hand patting Naminé's softly. She was amazed at how warm and soft they were but didn't mention it. She figured her slight fever was making her imagine things.

"Hey, hey, don't you go and flirt with her in front of us. It's gross," Roxas stated, grimacing to add emphasis to his words.

"Wha- I'm not –" the brunet stuttered, his hands flying out of the blonde's grasp to lay by his sides like hands should, his face turning a deep red.

"Like you're one to talk," Naminé told her blond friend. "You and Axel never seem to mind other people when you guys start to grope each other."

"And may I ask how you would know about it?" Axel asked, smirking while Roxas chose to not say a word, his eyes looking at everything but his friends and twin.

"I saw you," the blonde stated, nodding once.

"Wait, Axel groped you?" Sore suddenly exclaimed, standing up. "But how- I mean, why?!"

"You, boy, have obviously never heard of friendly jokes, have you?" The redhead asked Sora, his eyes shining with something the brunet couldn't quite decipher. He just felt it couldn't be anything good at all.

"Axel," Roxas warned, his head swivelling towards his friend and frowning.

"Alright, I'm stopping right now," the older replied, lifting his hands up.

Really, the brunet wanted to know what it was that had made Axel's eyes a bit frightening for a moment, but he wasn't sure knowing it would reassure him…

Soon after, the three boys left Naminé's house and headed back home. Axel offered to accompany the twins – his house was the same way anyway – an offer none of the boys refused.

They soon were very glad they didn't as Seifer exited a street perpendicular to theirs and stood before them, smiling mischievously.

xx—xx—xx

_Oh noes, what will he do? XD So, not bored yet? Good, because it's only starting! (obviously) I'm sorry if some of you were a bit annoyed that Riku is, once again, a vampire in a fanfic but, well, I think it suits him, somehow. I mean, I did tell they were handsome in the first chapter. So who else could take that part? *cough – Squall – cough* __Starting next chapter, you'll get a few explanations about the species that appear in the story. I'm afraid it's a bit confusing with all the names and categories and sub-categories. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks a lot for the reviews you guys left. =) They're the best way to make me write more. XD *not so subtle hint* _


	3. Family

Disclaimer : Kingdom Hearts and its characters do not belong to me.

xx—xx—xx

If there is one word to describe Chocobos, it would be : extreme. From what I learned from watching Axel and Demyx, Chocobos are quite cheerful but can also be really scary when angry. What's even scarier is that they can go from sweet to menacing in the blink of an eye. And let's not forget their insane strength. I've seen many bruises on Roxas' arms and legs. I guess Axel accidentally gave them to him…

_Chapter 03 :__ Family _

"Well, if it isn't the _loser_," Seifer called as he approached the small group of friends, his sidekicks close behind. "I thought I told you not to stand on my way."

"You went out of your way to come here so, technically, you're the one in _our _way," Axel declared, soon making a face. "Man, that sounded so childish."

"Because that guy is obviously not really mature," Roxas commented, shrugging his shoulders.

Sora looked from his group to the other and bit his lip. Here it was going again.

"Listen, punk," Seifer growled, pointing a finger at Roxas and adding a glare to look more menacing. "Don't get so cocky because you landed a blow on me. I was just unprepared. You'd bite the dust if I were to take on you right now."

"Don't you dare," Axel immediately retorted, stepping forward.

"Guys!" Sora shouted, effectively stopping the argument. "We'll be going, okay? So there's no need to fight." He grabbed Roxas and Axel's wrists and dragged them to the other side of the street, ignoring Seifer's threats behind his back.

He wasn't sure what scared him the most between those threats and what could possibly happen if Axel decided to take action. He truly didn't want to know what that last one would lead to.

"Dammit, Sora! Stop letting him push you around like that!" Roxas eventually exploded. "It would teach him a good lesson to let us take care of him."

"It would only make things worse. His teasing me is nothing new. The last time I tried to defend myself, I ended up with a cut lip, among other things," the brunet told him with a light shake of his head. "Really, it's best to just ignore him. He'll grow tired of it after a while."

"What if he doesn't? What will you do, then?" His twin insisted.

"I don't know! Stop talking about that!" Sora exclaimed, raising his voice more than necessary. "I'm no good, I know. There's a reason I've been teased a lot in high school; there's a reason our parents kicked me out without a second thought. I know already."

"Stop with the self pity already. And can't you just go past that? They are assholes. Just forget them!" Roxas almost shouted in return. He felt Axel put a hand on his shoulder but he quickly shrugged it off.

"No, I can't! And stop calling them assholes! They're my parents!"

"Parents who abandoned you!"

Sora exhaled loudly before he spun around. He walked off, not bothering to tell any of the two where he was going. The fact that he was walking away from Seifer as well was a bit reassuring but Axel hoped the brunet wouldn't be out too long.

"What the hell is wrong with him?!" Roxas shouted, kicking a nearby trashcan. "Dammit, why can't it be easier?"

"He's been here for a few days only. You can't expect to know him that quickly. You guys might be twins, but it doesn't mean you can understand each other just yet," the redhead told him, running a hand in blond spikes. He knew it would ease his friend's nerves and he smiled when Roxas did calm down under his touch. "You have to admit you were a bit inconsiderate there, calling those who raised him assholes."

"That's what they are."

"Yeah, but he's probably still remembering them as loving parents. Wouldn't you feel just like him if Tifa were to suddenly throw you out?"

He saw his blond friend pout and cross his arms, a sign that let him know Roxas was admitting that what he was saying was right.

But Roxas could be pretty stubborn when he wanted to. "Tifa would never do that."

"That's what he must have thought, too. Yet, here he is."

x-x-x

Sora felt like crap the next day. He hadn't slept really well after the eventful day and to make things worse, Riku was baby-sitting him in school. He could feel the silver-haired boy's eyes on him and couldn't help but shiver at the thought. It was really creepy. And Riku not talking at all didn't make things better.

"Tell me again why you're following me?" Sora asked not so nicely as he opened his locker to grab his notebooks. He stuffed them in his bag with more strength than necessary.

Riku didn't miss that and frowned at the younger. "Tell me again why your brother feels the need to keep you on watch twenty-four seven?" He retorted, smiling proudly when the blue-eyed boy threw him an annoyed look.

"I never asked you to follow me. Why are you even here, anyway? You know I don't like you one bit."

"Okay, listen," the silver-haired boy began, taking a step towards the brunet. "I'm only doing this because Roxas is a good friend of mine. Nothing else. I'm as annoyed as you are, having to follow your every movement, and I can't wait for the day to end so that I can finally be away from you and your childish act."

"I'm not childish!" The other boy protested, looking hurt.

"You're probably the only one thinking that," Riku spat. "Whatever, I'm too old to understand a brat like you. I'm not talking, let alone looking at you any more. You piss me off."

The aquamarine-eyed teen spun on his heels and left Sora on the spot. Said teen watched him leave, dumbfounded, and said nothing for a moment.

"Yeah, right! See if I care!" Riku heard him yell somewhere behind him. He growled lowly and kept walking, not wanting to turn back and strangle the prick. Roxas would so not like that. How could he even live under the same roof as that brat? A damn brat who just decided he didn't like someone based on what stupid grown-ups told him about Vampires. Didn't the kid have any brain?

"Riku? I thought you were watching Sora today."

Talk about the devil's twin.

"I'm not keeping an eye on him any longer. I'm sorry but I can't. He just keeps blowing off at me!" Riku exclaimed more loudly than he would have wanted. He sighed heavily and shook his head. "I just can't, okay? Either you find someone else, or you might find your twin lying in a pool of blood somewhere in town."

"That is not funny," the blond mumbled, folding his arms to his chest.

"Do I look like I'm joking here?"

There was silence between the two of them. A few students passed them, talking animatedly and breaking the heavy atmosphere surrounding the two for a moment.

"Sora has his reasons," Roxas began in a low voice. Riku made to interrupt him but the blond was quicker. "I've heard from my aunt that our grandmother was killed by a Vampire. I guess that's what made my parents hate species so much. And since Sora grew up with them, it's only logical that he thinks the same."

"Well, I'm sorry about that, but I'm not the one who went and killed her. And when did that happen, anyway? Drinking human blood is forbidden."

"We weren't born at the time, so it must have happened a while back," Roxas explained with a shrug of his shoulders. "My folks became really afraid of Vampires and still are. I guess they think they could hurt them or something. It's completely stupid, really."

"Tell your brother that," Riku stated before he stalked off and disappeared around a corner.

Roxas shook his head and decided he'd follow Sora for the day.

x-x-x

"Guys, I'm so glad I finally found you!" An over-excited Naminé exclaimed as she joined her friends during lunch. She set her tray on the table and sat next to Sora, looking at him with something akin to respect – which worried him, really.

"Now, that's scary. What happened that makes you so happy? And aren't you supposed to be sick?" Axel asked, blinking in surprise. Roxas wore the same expression while the other boys looked simply curious.

"He's what happened," the blonde stated, patting Sora's shoulder.

"And that means..?" Roxas asked, raising a single eyebrow.

"That she's fallen in love," Demyx all but sang.

"No! Stop being immature," Naminé told him with a pout. "I'm not entirely sure but I think that he healed me."

The teenagers exchanged suspicious looks before turning their heads to the blonde again.

"Did you hit something?" Marluxia asked slowly.

"I know it's hard to believe but I'm almost sure it was his doing. I mean, I was pretty sick when you guys came to my house yesterday, right?" She looked at Roxas, Axel and then Sora, silently asking for confirmation. She continued once she had it. "Doesn't it seem strange that right after you left, I suddenly got better and I'm not sick any more?"

"I don't even know how I would have done that," the brunet stated, his eyebrows furrowing. "It's not like I touched-" he began, cutting himself when realization hit him.

"That's right. It must have happened when you touched my hand," Naminé explained, nodding once for emphasis. She watched as her friends whispered among themselves, clearly doubting such a thing was even possible. This kind of Healer was rare, after all.

"Maybe it was just a coincidence?" Sora offered lamely, not knowing what else he could say. He wasn't even sure he understood what was going on. Him? Healing people? Yeah, right.

"That guy can't even take care of himself. How could he possibly help someone else?" Riku said, a smirk quickly following his statement. It grew wider with Sora's glare.

"Well, there's only one way to know if it's true or not," Axel stated, standing up and clapping his hands twice to get the other teens' attention. Everyone in the cafeteria turned their heads towards the redhead's table and right then, Sora wished he could be somewhere else. "Is someone hurt around here? Knocked your head or cut your finger? Something like that?"

There was silence before the students began to talk, exchanging glances and shrugging shoulders. A few seconds later and they were resuming eating their meals as if the redhead had never interrupted them.

"Tch. People these days," Axel muttered, sitting back down on his chair.

They finished their meal, and then decided to go sit outside in the small courtyard until class began. Although it was cold, the weather was nice and they wanted to enjoy it while they could. They went to sit under an oak tree that wasn't too far from the building and resumed the conversations they had begun inside. Sora felt a little out of place though, watching them joking around and laughing at things that didn't seem so funny to him. Private jokes really sucked when you couldn't understand them, he figured. He decided to just take a look around and marvel at the beauty of the yard. Or at least, he whished it were beautiful. In fact, its dead trees made the place quite depressing.

His attention was caught by a flash of red that was approaching them. After a careful inspection, he discovered it was a scarf a boy was wearing. That same boy was walking in their direction but looked like he'd be going somewhere else if he could. Sora raised a single eyebrow at that, wondering what he could want with them.

"Err… Excuse me?" The red scarf wearer asked timidly, glancing here and there. Was he afraid of being seen with them?

"Yeah?" Marluxia replied, his gaze studying the boy's face intently.

"Are you the guys from the cafeteria? The ones who asked for-"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence that Axel cut him off. "Injured people? Yep, that's us," he said in a friendly tone, pointing at Sora. "You should let him take a look at your injury."

"…Okay?" The stranger wasn't sure it was a good idea but obeyed anyway. He lifted the sleeve of his jacket up and showed his arm to the brunet. Sora could see a nasty bruise on the guy's wrist and involuntarily winced just seeing it.

"What happened?" Sora asked, cautiously running his fingertips on the bruised skin. He felt the muscles under his fingers twitch but the boy made no movement to make him stop, so the brunet figured he simply surprised him.

"I fell down the stairs this morning. I think it's twisted. The nurse wasn't there so I couldn't ask him to take a look at it," the boy explained, watching the brunet's fingers trace random patterns on the skin.

"It must hurt a lot," Sora thought aloud, his hand retreating back to his side. "I'm sorry but I can't help you. Somehow, these guys just thought I –"

"What did you do, exactly?" The boy interrupted him, clenching his fist a few times before he dared touch his wrist – it was still swollen but not bruised any more. "It doesn't hurt as much as it did before. Look, the bruise is even gone!"

"See? I told you he could heal people," Naminé eventually intervened when she couldn't stay quiet any longer.

"What? Who can heal people?"

Somehow, her words were heard by a group of students standing not far from them. The news spread like wild fire as boys and girls surrounded the miraculously healed teen, who kept explaining how Sora had just made the pain go. The brunet, of course, was soon surrounded by dozens of persons he didn't even know, and who were shooting questions at him so quickly he didn't catch any of them.

"What's all the ruckus?" A voice boomed over the noise the crowd was making. People stepped back, clearing a path for the new-comer. It happened to be a man with hair as wild as Sora's, but blond. His blue eyes scanned the crowd quickly before settling on the brunet everyone was looking at. The man raised a curious eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.

"Mr Strife, I heard this guy is a true Healer; one that can heal us."

"It's true! Can you tell my wrist was still hurt only a few seconds ago?"

"Quiet, everyone!" Mr Strife exclaimed to calm the excited group of teenagers. Most of them lifted surprised gazes at him, not used to the blond man's raised voice. It was an uncommon occurrence. "The bell is about to ring so I highly suggest you all go back inside." The man turned his head towards Sora. "You're coming with me. Now."

"But – " Sora made to protest.

"No buts, young man. Come with me," Mr Strife instructed, motioning for the brunet to follow him.

Sora glanced anxiously at Roxas, but all he saw was the same worry written on his twin's face. He did as he was told and followed the blond inside the school. They went down the main hall before turning right to go up stairs and get to the second floor. There, they kept walking for a moment before going down other stairs and back to the first floor. Realizing that, Sora furrowed his eyebrows.

"Why did we go to the second floor if we had to go to-"

"As you can see, no one's here. It's better if you don't meet anyone at the moment," the man interrupted him, still answering his question.

Sora said nothing more and only nodded in understanding. They eventually stopped before a door and when it was opened, Sora understood they were in the nurse's office.

Wait, that guy was the nurse?

"You can sit here," Mr Strife said, quickly pointing towards a chair in front of the nurse's desk. "So," he began when the teen and he took a seat. "Could you explain what that noise was about?"

Now that he was alone and heard him perfectly, Sora realized the man's voice wasn't threatening at all. In fact, it was almost friendly – but that blank expression on his face made him think that maybe he was just imagining things. He also realized then that this Mr Strife was actually a Chocobo. So that friendliness wasn't part of his imagination, right?

Sora then remembered the nurse was waiting for an answer. "Oh, right. Well, I can't exactly understand myself and I really didn't mean for things to get so –"

"Just relax. I'm not going to scold you or anything. I'm just curious, really," the blond reassured him, leaning forward so he could prop his chin on his hands. A ghost of a smile was on his lips. What seemed to shine in his eyes, though, could be seen quite clearly. The man was genuinely curious, that much Sora could tell.

"They say I can heal people, but I doubt it," the teen explained shortly. How was it possible to go from an average boy to a Magician and then a Healer in such a short amount of time? It was crazy.

"Really?" The man asked, blinking in surprise. "How did they discover that?"

"Well, one of my friends is convinced that I am the reason why she's not sick any more. And then, there is that boy who thinks I healed his wrist."

"What do you think about the matter?"

Now, Sora was taken aback. It was the first time someone asked about his feelings on the whole matter. What did he think about becoming part of the species? Nothing that good, actually. The brunet didn't answer before he brought his knees to his chest and hugged them.

"It's hard to believe it's actually happening. Less than a month ago, I was just a normal boy whose main concern was to get good grades at school. It's difficult to get used to being someone entirely different," Sora explained slowly, his eyes concentrating on the small plate with the man's full name that lay on the desk. Cloud Strife? Strange name.

"What changed so much that you feel like another person now?" Cloud asked patiently, his gaze studying the brunet. Said boy couldn't see it for he was too engrossed in looking at the plate.

"Well, I became one of those… Never mind," Sora muttered, shaking his head.

"I think you should tell me. This is obviously troubling you," the blond stated, leaning back in his chair. "Whatever you say will stay between us." Sora didn't look like he'd talk anytime soon, though. "Listen, you can speak your mind around me. You should know that, right? I can feel your aura, so I guess you can tell what mine is."

"That's part of what bothers me," Sora said, his gaze finally meeting Cloud's. "I – I'm surrounded by people I've disliked my whole life. And what is worse is that I'm now one of them. I know it's horrible to think that way and I truly wish I could stop, but I've been brought up that way. All my life, all I've heard from my parents is that it's better to stay away from species. It's not so easy to change my mind," the younger stated, quickly averting his gaze to not see the nurse's reaction.

Said nurse said nothing for a while.

"What about now? Do you still think you should keep avoiding us species?"

"I'm not sure… I mean, I met great people here but… I'm not sure I can let myself befriend them. It's just too weird."

Cloud heaved a long sigh, the sound catching the brunet's attention. Suddenly, he feared he had said something that upset the nurse.

"You know, it's the same as when you encounter a Human for the first time. Befriending them, trusting them, it takes time. I think you should just go with the flow. Give yourself some time to adapt to being in a new school, surrounded by new people. Only then will you be able to think clearly about your feelings concerning potential friendships and such," Cloud told him, that ghost of a smile still present. "Now, I'd like to make sure you really are a true Healer. That interests me a lot. Do you mind if I try something?"

Sora wasn't sure what he would be agreeing to but he accepted nonetheless. His curiosity had gotten the best of him, he guessed. He watched as Cloud nodded back and grabbed a pair of scissors. The teen yelped when the man pressed one of the blades against the skin of his index finger and cut it. A crimson pearl fell on the wooden surface before Cloud extended his arms to show the cut to the younger, silently wishing he wasn't suffering from hematophobia. He was relieved to see that Sora only frowned a bit before letting his index finger brush against the older's. Cloud had to bite his bottom lip to prevent himself from smiling too obviously when he noticed the light blush Sora's cheeks had gotten from the light contact. He guessed the teen was really shy.

"I'm not even sure if this is going to work. They might have been mere coincidences." Sora felt the need to clarify things as he let go of the man's finger and joined his hands on his lap. He shook his head slowly, as if trying to convince himself.

"Well, I guess they weren't," Cloud declared, showing his finger again. There was not a single trace on the skin. Sora frowned when he realized that. "It's an honour to have such an eminent student in our school."

"Eminent? I'm not sure I'm that-" the brunet began, his cheeks turning a bright red in a matter of a few seconds.

"Just joking," the blond man told him. "I was trying to make you feel less nervous. You're even making me feel tense myself, and that's quite an accomplishment."

"Sorry, I-"

"Alright then, Sora. I think it's time you go back to class," Cloud stated, quickly writing something on a piece of paper before he handed it to the teenager. "Give this to your teacher, okay? Have a good day."

"Good day to you too," Sora replied hesitantly. He couldn't explain it but he was sure the man was planning something. Something he wouldn't like at all.

x-x-x

"Really? You can do that, Sora?" Tifa asked, her eyes doubling in size. "Man, that stupid sister of mine didn't even know how lucky she was to have you. You're gold worthy, boy!"

"Please, this is embarrassing," the brunet muttered. He suddenly found the floor really interesting.

"But it's true. Did you know there are only about a hundred of you guys in this country? People aren't kidding when they say your kind is rare," the woman insisted. When Sora eventually met her gaze, she gave him a warm smile and wrapped her arms around his thin body. "I'm so proud of you," she whispered, her smile never faltering. She could hear the gagging sounds that Axel and Roxas were making, but she chose to ignore them.

"We've known each other for, like, three weeks at most," the brunet said, feeling the need to point this fact out. His words made the woman hug him tighter, and he suddenly feared she would crush him. She wasn't a Chocobo but she sure could be one.

"It doesn't matter. The second you stepped inside this house, you became part of our small family," Tifa told him, eventually releasing him. "And being family means caring and being proud of one another."

Sora could only blink at her, his mind reeling with thoughts of his former parents, Tifa and all the new people he met in Twilight Town. Did his parents care for him? They did, he was sure of that. Even though they kept making fun of him and calling him a wimp, they must have cared. Or not. When he thought of his last day with them, he wasn't so sure any more. It was quite pathetic he had to end up living with strangers for someone to care and be proud of him. And that person – or was also Roxas thinking that? – had met him a few weeks ago and didn't know him all that much. And yet, he couldn't help but feel that warm feeling inside his chest when Tifa had said that.

"Well, it's a first. Someone's proud of me," he tried to joke, his smile obviously fake.

With that warm feeling, something bitter had appeared. Guilt. They were all really nice, but could he also think of them as family? As people he could be proud of and care for? He was slowly getting there, he was sure of that. But how much time would it take?

"Self pity again," he heard Roxas say behind him. The brunet turned around and chose to simply stick out his tongue at his twin, which made the blond chuckle.

"Boys, why don't you go to your rooms and wait for dinner to be ready?" Tifa offered, patting Sora on the head.

The two friends didn't bother answering and just retreated to Roxas' bedroom while Sora chose to leave them alone and went to his own. He shut the door and walked to his small plant. It looked quite good and ready to live for many, many years, he thought. He checked to see if it needed to be watered and when he figured it could wait for another day, he lifted his gaze up and looked out the window. When the week-end came, maybe he'd ask his brother to show him around. He didn't know the town that well and that bugged him to no end. He didn't want to depend on people to get wherever he wanted to go, so he figured a tour of the city would be a great idea. And if Roxas couldn't go with him… Well, he'd find someone else.

x-x-x

"What the hell is that?" Were the first words that got out of Sora's mouth when he entered school a few days later. A small envelope was taped to his locker, his name written on it. The handwriting was simple but clear. Definitely a man's too. Not a kid, but a man. Now, that worried him.

"What are you waiting for? Open it!" Demyx encouraged from his side. The guy was more excited than the brunet was, and the letter wasn't even addressed to him. Once more, Sora figured it had to do with the male's kind. Axel had a tendency to be lively almost all day too.

The younger of the two snatched the envelope and ripped it open with shaky fingers. Why did he feel like a kid about to be scolded? They wouldn't tape envelopes on his locker if it were serious. They would send them to Tifa, right? The brunet found himself closing his eyes as he unfolded the sheet of paper, only to open them when he heard Demyx's voice.

"Whoa, lucky!"

Sora finally read the small text written in the same clean handwriting. It read that he was to stay in the nurse's office for the designated periods of time listed below the short message, and when Sora studied them, he noticed there were a few days when he wouldn't be able to go to all of his classes. How was he supposed to study if he had to be with nurse Strife instead of his teachers? And dammit, he had to go right now if he didn't want to be late for his first shift with Cloud!

He made a dash for the nurse's office, not warning Demyx and leaving the senior alone. The brunet didn't answer the few students who greeted him, too busy trying not to trip on his own feet. Thankfully, the nurse's office wasn't far, so he got there a little earlier. He knocked on the door before he entered, not forgetting his manners. He peeked inside and saw that the nurse was already there, rummaging through the cupboards. Cloud eventually turned his head and greeted him.

"Glad you could make it on time," the blond man told him before resuming whatever he was doing.

"Short notice," Sora panted, sitting on a chair to catch his breath.

"Sorry about that. It all happened so suddenly, really," the nurse replied, closing the cupboard. He walked towards his desk, holding several boxes. He put them on the table and sat before he took a sheet of paper. "In case you were wondering, the teachers all agreed to this, so you won't be penalized."

"Why did they agree? It's like I'm skipping. No, I _am_ skipping, basically," Sora muttered. He saw the man before him stifle a small laugh, shaking his head.

"You wouldn't believe how many students go back home because something hurts. It's like an epidemic, sometimes, especially when tests are planned. So, you now understand how you being a Healer is to our advantage," Cloud explained with a smirk.

"So, you guys are using me?"

"You could say that. But in the end, you're the one who gains a lot in this. You get to train and get better using your ability, and we keep the students for the whole day; well, at least those who come here while you're helping."

"Oh, so that healing thing needs training?" Sora asked, confused. He truly thought once he had it, he could use it without any difficulties. The other kids seemed to not have trouble with their powers.

"Sorcerers and Magicians' abilities need it. At first, you can only cast weak spells, but the more you practise, the better they get. It's like everything else. Practise makes it better, right?"

Sora could have sworn there was a mischievous glint in those eyes when the nurse had said that. He remembered seeing it once in Axel's. He didn't like it coming from either of the men. The teen didn't reply and averted his gaze, finding a dirty spot on the floor. He vaguely heard the blond shifting in his chair but didn't look up.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Cloud said to catch the teen's attention. It worked. "Your teachers gave me notes and work for you to keep you busy. We wouldn't want you to get bored, after all."

"You mean you're making me help you _and_ study at the same time?" The younger exclaimed, his eyes widening.

"Of course you'd study. You're here for the whole morning. There's no way I'd keep you from passing your exams," Cloud stated with somewhat of a stern look. He handed Sora a few books and sheets of paper covered with exercises, amused when the boy made a face. "I may not look like it but I'm quite clever, so go ahead and ask me anything if you're having trouble with your work."

"Err, right. Thanks, sir," Sora replied politely.

"Cloud," the blond said. He saw Sora frown and tilt his head to the side. "You can call me Cloud since we'll be seeing each other a lot. Sir makes me sound so old."

The morning was uneventful and Sora was glad for that. It let him bond with Cloud who, he learned, was very kind and quiet too. It was hard to believe he was of Axel and Demyx's kind. They were all great people but in their own way. The teens were loud and didn't hide their amusement and like for someone while Cloud was more reserved on the matter. He barely smiled when he joked but his eyes would spark with sheer glee. It was amazing how eyes could be so expressive.

After spending a few hours talking about anything that came to their minds, Cloud chose to approach what looked like a touchy subject for the brunet.

"So…You feeling better among us?" The blond asked with a careful voice, like he was afraid the brunet might throw a fit. He studied the teen's face carefully, watching for any signs that would give his thoughts away.

"My aunt said she's proud of me," Sora began, grabbing his eraser. He rubbed it against his paper before scribbling something else. "It felt nice, but it also made me sad, somehow."

"How come?" Really, being a psychologist was almost like a second job to Cloud. He couldn't count the number of kids who walked in there and asked him for advice on personal matters. It was a little sad that they had to confide in him rather than in friends or family, but he wouldn't let them know this.

"Don't I need to accept what I am before I can accept others and feel the same way about them?" The teen asked, eventually looking up at the nurse. "Besides, I don't know them all that well." Sora then pouted, displeased. "It makes me feel bad to say this."

"If you don't like it, stop thinking that way," Cloud advised with a quick nod of his head.

"It's not that simple."

"It is. If you think it's unfair that you're not returning your friends and family's feelings, then just do that. Return them. You've got nothing to lose anyway, right?" Cloud insisted. For the first time that morning, a smile spread across his face. Sora couldn't help but blush seeing it. It felt like Cloud considered him a friend close enough to let him see his smile. It made him feel special.

And it sounded so wrong, even in his head.

"_What am I thinking?_" Sora thought to himself, shaking his head.

"See? Even you agree with me," the nurse went on, taking Sora's gesture the wrong way. But the teen was relieved he did.

Someone entered the office then, not knocking to announce themselves. The younger frowned at the lack of manners and spun around on his chair to look at the newcomer, who appeared to be a grumpy man. A Werewolf. He should have guessed. Said Werewolf glanced at Cloud's smiling face and then at Sora, scowling at him.

"Err… Hi?" Sora offered lamely, suddenly feeling completely out of place.

While Cloud seemed expressionless, this man was downright cold. And handsome – not that Cloud wasn't, though. He had brown hair that looked silky and fell to the man's shoulders, cold yet beautiful gray eyes. Even the scar on his forehead made him gorgeous. In fact, it was like there was nothing that could be done to make the man ugly.

Sora realized he had been staring at the stranger for a while, and that same stranger had realized it and now looked menacing.

"It's alright, Squall. He's just a friend." Cloud chose to intervene to smooth out the suddenly tense air.

"Hey, Cloud," Squall greeted, bluntly ignoring the teenager.

"We met earlier this morning," the blond man pointed out, raising his eyebrows. "Oh, I get it. What did you do again? Last time you acted like that, you ended up with that scar on your face."

"It's nothing serious, really. Just got clumsy when I used my Stanley knife."

It was then that Cloud saw the blood-soaked handkerchief Squall was clutching around one of his fingers. The blond held a hand out and the Werewolf showed him his injury.

"Oh my God, is that the bone?!" Cloud exclaimed, grimacing, as he examined the deep cut. "What the hell did you do?" Squall simply shrugged his shoulders and shook his hand once, waiting for the other to treat it. The nurse glanced at Sora and saw him shake his head furiously. He ignored it. "Ask him, you'll heal way faster."

Squall looked down at Sora. The latter was glad he wasn't glaring at him any more.

"He's the kid everyone is talking about?" Squall asked, raising a curious eyebrow. He could see Cloud nodding from the corner of his eye. "Alright, kid. Show me what you can do."

Before Sora could say a word, a bloody finger what shoved towards him and he was staring at what he had always hoped he wouldn't see. And God, you could really see the bone! The men saw him go pale before he dared let shaky fingers hover over the wound. With a gulp, Sora lowered his hand and let it wrap gently around the abused digit. A quick look at Squall's face let him know he wasn't hurting the man. In fact, Squall was now talking with Cloud, oblivious to the teen's nervousness and slight dizziness. Sora was okay with flesh wounds and a little bit of blood here and there, but open wounds were a huge deal.

You could see the freaking bone!

"It tickles a little," Squall suddenly said in the middle of his conversation with the nurse. "It's the first time a Healer, well, heals me. These guys like to make people pay a fortune for their services. We should take advantage of this kid before he joins them."

"Don't be so rude," Cloud said, rolling his eyes. "The way you've been treating him, he could have refused, you know? Actually, I'm amazed someone who's not a Chocobo agreed to help you."

"You forgot to mention I let him help me," the brunet half-joked, shrugging. "You done, boy?"

"Sora, you don't look so good. Are you okay?" Cloud asked worriedly when he noticed the teen's pale face.

"Bone." Was all the teen said before he collapsed, his body hitting the floor with a loud "thud".

Squall watched him, not moving to prevent him from falling. Or to help him get up. Cloud was at Sora's side in a matter of a few seconds and searched for any traces of physical injuries. When he found none, he slipped his arms under the unconscious body and lifted it up to lay it on the bed in the corner of the room.

"Maybe asking him was a bad idea," the scarred man stated uselessly.

"No kidding," the other retorted with a shake of his head. "Look after him for a moment. I'll be back soon."

"You're leaving a patient?"

"He'll be fine," the blond stated before he grabbed a plastic bag full of small boxes and left.

x-x-x

Now, Sora hopped his shifts at the nurse's office wouldn't all end up with him having a killer headache. He could feel a small bump forming on the back of his head. Roxas slapped his hand away for the tenth time since the brunet joined his friends in the cafeteria.

"Don't touch it. You'll only make it hurt more," the blond twin said wisely, grabbing his can of soda. He took a sip. "I'd know after being friends with Axel for so long."

"I'm sure you can see it," the brunet stated, once again lifting his hand to the back of his head, only to have it slapped once more.

"With that spiky hair of yours, it's unnoticeable," Axel teased with a big, goofy grin. "What happened, anyway? Don't tell me Cloud hit you?"

"I… Sort of fell off my chair?" Sora offered with an uneasy expression on his face. He blinked a few times when a tissue was put in front of him.

"You've got blood on you. Go wash your hands, the smell is driving me crazy," Riku stated, pinching his nose for good measure.

The brunet frowned and looked at the palm of his hand. It was still covered with Squall's blood, he just realized. How could Riku smell it when he himself couldn't? And his hand had been under the table the entire time too. But Sora didn't spend too much time thinking about this.

"Sure. We wouldn't want you to go and drink everyone's blood," he spat, getting to his feet. "You guys like to do that I heard."

"Well, you heard wrong."

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't Riku but Zexion who had spoken. Even the Vampire himself was surprised by that fact. But that didn't make the brunet like the silver-haired boy one bit. In fact, it just upset him. Sora stomped off and left the cafeteria, ignoring his twin calling him back to the table. He just couldn't understand these guys. Sure, he had to admit all species weren't as bad as his parents had told him all his life. That much he could see after spending time with Roxas' friends. But Vampires were another story. They had killed his grand-mother. They lusted for human blood. Riku had proved that when stating the smell of Squall's blood was driving him crazy. Maybe he should warn the Werewolf, in case the teen would attack him by surprise.

Someone bumped into him as he stood idly in the middle of the corridor. The guy called him a few names before going wherever he was going to.

"Stupid monster," Sora muttered under his breath as he went to the bathroom. Knowing he had someone else's blood on him felt so wrong.

"Hey, you!" Someone else called him. Sora searched for the source of the noise and his gaze landed on the Pack. "How come you got blood from one of our kind on you?"

The brunet gulped and unconsciously hid his hand behind his back. "It's nothing. He was hurt and I just helped him."

"Why hide your hand if that's the truth?"

Damn, those guys had good eyesight. They were standing so far from him he couldn't see their faces clearly. Until they approached him. The leader of the Pack stopped right in front of him and caught him by the collar of his shirt, his glare anything but friendly – which was logical, when one thought about it.

"How come you got blood from one of our kind on you?" The boy repeated.

Sora couldn't miss the clenched fist by the Werewolf's side. He was in for another shiner, wasn't he?

"Fights are not allowed inside school, boys."

Unless someone came and rescued him. But when the brunet realized who it was, he suddenly feared the newcomer would only make things worse.

"He's got your blood on him," the boy stated, his grip on Sora's shirt not loosening.

Squall heaved a long sigh and shook his head. "Leave him alone. He only healed me, okay?"

"You couldn't possibly be trying to defend him, could you?"

Wow, Werewolves could be so stubborn. No, distrustful. They didn't even trust one another so it was no wonder they didn't believe Sora. Things weren't looking so good. Squall had started a glaring contest with a student, who was still holding Sora by his shirt. He would be the first to be hurt if a fight broke out, wouldn't he?

"You better let go of him now. I have no reason to cover him so stop acting like a small kid," Squall growled. He literally growled and it made shivers go down the brunet's spine – and the other boys' too seeing as they looked less menacing all of a sudden.

Sora was freed and the Pack left without another word. Now, that had been a bit scary.

"You okay?" Squall asked, not moving to get closer to him. He didn't even seem sincere. All Sora could see in this guy's eyes was boredom. Why did he bother help him earlier? He was an ass.

Sora didn't reply and retreated to the bathroom.

x-x-x

"You okay, now?" Demyx asked, studying Riku's face.

"Yeah. It doesn't stink any more so I'm fine," the Vampire replied before resuming eating his sandwich.

"It's funny how the smell of cold blood can make you sick," Axel stated, stealing a chip from Roxas, who let out an indignant yelp that was ignored.

"Blood in general makes me sick when it's not that time of the month," Riku made known with a shrug of his shoulders.

"You sound like a girl talking about her periods," Marluxia teased, giving his friend a playful shove on the shoulder. He saw Riku make a face.

"Thankfully, I wasn't referring to that."

"You wouldn't believe how often my aunt's hair turns white when she has her periods. It's frightening, really," Roxas informed, eating a chip and slapping Axel's sneaking hand away.

"She's still cursed?" Demyx asked, blinking in surprise.

"All curses don't disappear. She's had it since birth and will probably die with it."

"I do hope yours will stop soon. You don't look so good with a beard," the redhead told his blond friend.

Roxas scrunched up his nose. "I'm still young, it could stop at any time."

"He's taking a while," Marluxia suddenly said, looking all around him, as if searching for someone. He noticed his friends sending him curious glances. "Sora."

"Maybe he got lost?" Demyx offered.

"Maybe a Vampire ate him?" Riku added, chuckling at his own joke that surely didn't make Roxas laugh.

"You know, I highly doubt he'll ever change his mind if you keep acting like a jerk," the blond told him with a frown.

"Having one prick is enough. I don't need you to join him."

Just like that, the friendly atmosphere became tense. The other boys made to calm their friends down but it was to no avail.

"I really want to know why you're so bent on protecting him that you feel the need to insult me," Riku began.

"Oh, come on, since when – " Axel began, only to be cut off when the younger kept talking.

"In front of all of our friends. Why would you do that for someone you barely know?"

"He's my brother."

"That doesn't change the fact you guys know nothing of each other."

The blond wanted to say something, he really did, but he didn't know what to answer to that. Protecting someone from your family was logical, wasn't it? Why didn't Riku want to understand that?

The silver-haired boy sighed, bringing a hand to his temple to massage it. "Alright, I'll go look for him. Satisfied?" He asked, standing up and turning towards the cafeteria's exit.

While making his way to the closest bathroom, the silver-haired boy couldn't help but wonder why he was helping Sora. The boy was nothing but rude and stupid. But he was Roxas' brother.

"_And Roxas is my friend,_" Riku thought.

xx—xx—xx

Alright, that's it for new characters. For now. =x I'll give you some time to take everything in before anything new comes your way. And let's not forget bonding. \o/ These guys need to get a little closer before the really fun part starts. ;) Thanks a bunch for the reviews you guys left, they mean so much to me!


	4. A fact better left ignored

Disclaimer : Kingdom Hearts and its characters do not belong to me.

xx—xx—xx

I think this is the right time to talk about Werewolves. I thought I knew them since Roxas is of their kind, but I was obviously wrong. It took me to heal that Squall guy to realize it. Their coldness isn't a façade. In fact, it is a warning. Mess with one and you're in trouble with the whole group, pack, whatever you can call it. Apparently, there is something special between Werevolves and Chocobs, but I have yet to find that out, if that ever happens.

_Chapter 04 :__ A fact better left ignored_

Saying that Riku was surprised would be a euphemism. He expected Sora to be annoyed or grumpy, but not actually scared when he entered the bathroom. That stun was soon replaced by annoyance, though. The Vampire felt the need to ask him what was so wrong that he literally jumped when the door was opened, but he figured it would be useless. The brunet did make sure Riku knew he wasn't in his friends list after all.

"Roxas is worried. Don't take too long," was all the silver-haired boy said before he spun on his heels to head back to the cafeteria.

Sora could only stare at the boy's back.

x-x-x

Later that day, Sora asked his twin to give him a tour of the city whenever he was free. Of course, the blond wouldn't just make it a tour. He had a plan – that his brother wouldn't like but that wasn't so important. Roxas had quickly understood having Sora and Riku on bad terms wasn't only bad for the two, but also for himself. He hadn't forgotten about his almost fight with the teen and he wasn't willing to have another one any time soon. As difficult as Riku could be, he was still a good friend Roxas intended to keep by his side.

The plan was to invite his friends to hang out in town during the week-end. He told most of them that Sora would be coming without knowing that his friends would join them. They all agreed and some seemed to like the idea a lot, even though it wasn't anything exceptional. Of course, the blond intentionally forgot to mention that Sora would be part of the group when he offered Riku to accompany them. The silver-haired boy agreed, not knowing what he had just gotten himself into. Roxas just hoped he wouldn't try to rip his guts out when he discovered the truth.

Fat chance. It wasn't that time of the month yet, like the Vampire would say.

"Sora? You ready yet? I've been waiting for ages," Roxas complained from the foot of the stairs.

"Are you guys going somewhere?" Tifa asked, stretching lazily. Her tank top lifted up a little and revealed her belly button, until she pulled on the fabric to hide it.

"Sora wants me to show him around."

"Ooh, nice. You guys should go to the mall," the woman advised, nodding to herself.

"I know, but thanks for telling me," Roxas replied with a small smile playing on his lips when he saw his aunt yawn. She must be really tired.

"I'm ready. Let's go!" Sora called from upstairs, grabbing his stuff in his bedroom before he joined Roxas.

The twins talked all the way to the busiest part of town, where Roxas had asked his friends to meet with him at two o'clock sharp. They were a bit late, thanks to Sora, but that wouldn't bother the other boys too much. The brunet hadn't spotted the small group of friends until Roxas actually led him to them. The face he made must have been funny, for Demyx and Axel burst out laughing when they saw it. Zexion was his usual self, glaring at everyone – he could have been a Werewolf with that attitude of his. Marluxia was winking at cute girls passing by and Riku was already glaring at the siblings.

Sora wanted to ask what he, of all people, was doing here, but no one let him. Axel shot up from the bench he was sitting on, Marluxia and Demyx following suit, and approached the two with his usual cheerful expression. He patted Roxas on the shoulder and began to talk animatedly with him, while Demyx and Marluxia greeted Sora and asked him how things were going. There wasn't much to say since the day before so the brunet figured saying he was fine would be enough. A quick glance over his shoulder informed Sora that Riku and Zexion were staying far behind the group and talking among themselves. He refrained from making any comment about that and decided to just enjoy the tour.

He discovered that there wasn't much to see in the city, except for the mall and its surroundings. There were shops, a few pubs, and a museum, but apart from that, nothing really caught Sora's attention.

"There's a great park on the other side of the city. It's quite big and perfect for long walks. There are ducks and swans. I love to go there with bread, and feed them," Demyx rambled as the small group walked towards the mall after showing most of the smaller shops to Sora.

"Must be fun," the brunet agreed. He remembered doing the same with his parents when he was younger. He never forgot how he had freaked out when ducks had suddenly surrounded him. He really thought he'd never be with his parents ever again that day.

That was something really embarrassing to remember, but it made Sora laugh every time he thought about it.

"Here we are," Axel stated as the whole group stopped in front of a huge building. "That's obviously the mall. We hang out here when we're bored and don't know what to do," the redhead explained to Sora. "I'm not sure it's as funny to go there alone though."

"It looks nice," Sora stated, looking at the exterior of the building. Ads were hanging on the walls, starring models wearing outfits from some of the shops inside, each more colourful and eye-catching than the other.

"Wait 'til we go inside," Axel told him with a big, goofy grin, putting an arm around the brunet's shoulders.

He kept talking but Sora didn't quite catch what he said. Something else caught his attention. He saw a couple exiting the mall, holding many bags. He immediately recognized his parents and couldn't help the smile that grew on his face. Sora called out to them, waving to make sure they'd see him.

And they did spot him. Their gazes hardened into full-out glares before they turned their heads and kept walking to their car, not hurrying up but not slowing down either. Sora let his hand fall down to his side and his smile disappeared slowly as he saw them ignore him completely. A small voice inside his head asked him what had gotten into him, told him that he should have seen that one coming, but in his heart, he had hoped so much that they'd at least give him a small smile. Even a wave in his direction would have been enough. But no, they just threw daggers at him and went on with what they were doing like he was never there in the first place.

Of course, Roxas and his friends witnessed this. They hadn't realized how cruel these two actually were until they saw it with their own eyes.

The blond twin was suddenly very grateful he didn't grow up with his parents.

"You ok?" Demyx asked tentatively, his hand coming to rest on the brunet's shoulder where Axel's wasn't.

Sora seemed to come back from a deep trance, and lifted his gaze up to look at the two males by his sides. "Yeah. So, you guys were talking about going inside?"

He added a smile to make it look like he didn't care about what just happened, but he failed miserably. It only looked like he was having some sort of seizure that made his lips tremble uncontrollably. Neither of the Chocobos missed his reddened cheeks either.

"I'd kill for ice cream right now. How about we go eat some at that new store?" Demyx suddenly suggested.

"Awesome idea, man. I'll pay for you, Sora. Consider this as my gift to welcome you in our little group," the redhead added, pulling the brunet towards the sliding doors.

Sora really didn't feel like eating anything at the moment, but he didn't want to seem rude so he just agreed.

x-x-x

All in all, it had been a long and tiresome afternoon. Riku was glad he was finally back home. He closed the front door with a heavy sigh and took his shoes and coat off. It was silent inside, so he figured he would be alone for a while. The silver-haired boy grabbed a snack, and then went upstairs, intent on logging on his computer to check his mail and generally waste time on the internet until dinner. He surely didn't expect his mother to be in his bedroom.

She was wearing an elegant dress that was a deep purple. Her black hair was in a ponytail but still reached the small of her back. It had grown pretty long during the last few years, but not as much as his father's. It seemed like a fad in his family. Riku himself was letting his hair grow but he didn't want it to be too long and annoy him. They had just the right length and he didn't plan to let it grow past his shoulder blades.

"I didn't hear you come back," the woman, Edea, told her son with a warm smile. "How was your afternoon?" She asked, putting clean, folded clothes on the teen's bed.

"Not too bad," the younger replied with a shrug. He stared at his mother for a long time, and only stopped when she raised a curious eyebrow at his odd behaviour. "You know I love you, right?"

Edea blinked a few times, surprised. "Well, it's been a long time since you last told me this," she half-joked.

"Please, mom, I'm being serious," her son insisted.

She then realised he truly was. "Riku, sweety, what's wrong?"

The silver-haired boy let her wrap her arms around him, and he hugged her back strongly, but was careful to not hurt her.

"You know about that Healer guy, right?" He mumbled, his face buried in the crook of his mother's neck.

"The one you keep saying that you don't like but don't stop talking about?"

Riku chuckled at that. "Yeah, him. We saw his parents today."

"Oh. Did they say anything that made you upset?" Edea asked, running her fingers in Riku's hair. She felt his body become less tense until he was nearly leaning on her.

"Maybe it would have been better," the teen replied, his fingers absently playing with the laces of Edea's apron. Why she always wore one was still a mystery to him. "He just wanted to say "Hi", and all they did was look at him like he was some trash. I don't even want to know how he must have felt at that moment. He acted all though around us but…"

His mother let out a soft sigh and broke their embrace. "Looks like you're caring about him more than I thought."

Riku's eyes widened. "What? No! I only felt a little down because I was afraid you'd act like that around me too someday," he quickly denied, shaking his head furiously. "I don't like him. Why would I care?"

"Whatever, Riku," Edea told him, giving a small pat on his shoulder. "Your father plans to eat out tonight. Maybe you should find more appropriate clothes to wear. You know how he loves those fancy restaurants," she explained. Her shoulders dropped a little, showing her distaste for this kind of place. She was more of the family restaurant kind.

Her son just shook his head with a small smile and began to look through his dresser for a decent outfit.

x-x-x

The walk back to Tifa's place was awfully silent between the twins. Roxas was glad to be back. He couldn't stand the heavy silence that had been surrounding them, and he hoped his aunt could help him cheer Sora up, even if just a little. The brunet had been all smiles in front of everyone but his mask had fallen as soon as he was alone with his brother.

Roxas knew he couldn't count on Tifa when he saw that her hair was completely white. Something bad must have happened, he figured.

"Aunty, what's going on?" He asked, following her in the living room, where she plopped down on the sofa with a grunt.

"Just a bad day at work. Nothing too serious," she muttered. She took the remote and turned the TV on.

"Your hair is literally white. It must be serious," Roxas made known, sitting next to her. He saw Sora go upstairs from the corner of his eye. "_Great, as if one moody person wasn't enough,_" he thought. He slapped himself mentally after telling himself that none of them could help it.

"There was that asshole in the restaurant. He kept grabbing my ass, until I went and complained to the manager. I hate guys like that," Tifa explained. "From what I heard, he's not allowed inside any more."

"You did the right thing. Punching him in the face would have cost you your job," Roxas comforted her. He saw the woman nod slightly and realized that her hair was slowly turning black again, which meant she was calming down.

"Where's Sora? Didn't you guys come back together?"

That earned her a long sigh from Roxas. "We did. He's just not feeling well at the moment."

"Did he eat something bad?" Tifa wondered, cocking her head to the side.

"Nah. He saw his parents and they ignored him. Hurt him bad," the blond replied. He scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know what to do to help him."

His aunt hummed, tapping her index finger on her lips. "We should leave him alone for now. He'll talk once he feels like it."

"What if he needs someone to be with him?"

"Do you see him anywhere?" She glanced around her to add emphasis to her words. "I sure don't. That must mean he needs to be left alone."

Roxas still had his doubts, though. "We don't know him well yet. What if he just doesn't want to bother us?"

"Okay, I'll go check on him," the woman sighed as she got up.

"But what if he doesn't want us to talk to him?" The blond immediately asked.

He let out a pained yelp soon after when his aunt's hand smacked him upside the head before she sat back down on the sofa, muttering about indecisive nephews.

x-x-x

Sora didn't think he'd ever think that, but being back in school was great. He would be busy enough for a few days to forget he actually had a life outside of it. He could work himself to death and be happy doing so. But before that, he had to somehow get used to having Axel look after him. As soon as the brunet had stepped inside of the school, the Chocobo had joined him and led him everywhere.

Holding his hand.

While Sora would have been glad many years back, it was down-right embarrassing right now. He could see the stares of other pupils and hear the whispers among the crowd. Sora would never try to make Axel let go of his hand. He was too afraid Axel would break it out of anger. He still needed his hand, thank you very much.

"Axel, what are you doing?" Roxas asked, joining the two in the main corridor. He walked with them to his first class of the day, sending them curious glances.

"What does it look like to you? I'm looking after dear little Sora," the redhead replied, blinking slowly.

"Do you have to hold his hand?"

There, Axel's lips stretched into a grin. "Jealous?"

"No, I'm just worried for him. People keep staring at you, and half of them end up glaring in your direction," Roxas explained, glancing all around himself. He winced when he spotted more glares. "Seriously, Axel, I think you should stop before the whole school makes up stories about the two of you."

"Well, let them do whatever they want. It doesn't matter. Right, Sora?" The Chocobo asked with his brightest smile.

"Actually, it does. A lot," the brunet replied, relieved his twin was helping him.

Axel muttered something under his breath but let go of his friend's hand, which was a good thing in Sora's opinion. He was about to apologize, not liking the idea that he hurt the redhead's feelings but Axel spotted Demyx and ran towards him, calling his name enthusiastically.

"He's not mad, don't worry," Sora heard his twin tell him. He turned his head towards him and met blue eyes like him own holding nothing but kindness.

Sora wondered once more if Roxas truly was a Werewolf. He forgot about it pretty soon though, and focused on all of his morning classes. Time went by fast, he discovered, when he listened to what was being said, and he decided then that he'd keep paying attention in class. Not that he didn't before. He just used to be easily distracted.

"Sora, I don't get this part," he heard someone whisper to his left.

The brunet noticed it was Kairi who had just spoken. "I can explain but do not try to make me do it for you," he whispered back, a little defensive.

"I won't bewitch you, promise," the girl told him with a cute wink.

Pink spread across the brunet's cheeks but he pretended it wasn't caused by Kairi. "Alright. Here, you just need to –"

Kairi, he discovered, wasn't as bad as he first thought she was. Sure, she was openly using her powers and natural charms to get what she wanted, but it never seemed to concern important things. She'd use it to get free drinks from her classmates, borrow a pen… Sora found out it was actually a little funny when he wasn't the target. Zexion, though, wasn't agreeing with him.

"It wouldn't hurt to pay for your own coffee," the slate-haired boy stated, obviously annoyed by the girl's behaviour.

Kairi raised curious eyebrows. "Coffee? I like tea better, if you really want to know," she told him, shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, wouldn't it be a waste to not use my abilities?"

"Have you ever used them on friends?" Sora asked out of pure curiosity. Kairi seemed to understand this because she didn't look angered by the question.

"Of course not. I don't use it on family and true friends."

"So you do have morals? What a joke," Zexion teased with a smirk of his own.

"Well, duh. I'm not one of _those_ low-life Mermaids, thank you," Kairi said proudly, sticking her chest out just a little with her words. She noticed the confused expression on Sora's face and felt the need to explain her thoughts to the brunet. "There are two kinds of Mermaids out there : the kind that does nothing too bad, like me. The other kind, though, bewitches people to take advantages of them. They're mostly brides of famous or important people."

"Really? But aren't you just doing that with your classmates?" The brunet questioned, arching a single eyebrow.

Kairi stuttered for a short while. "Of course not! I'm not robbing them of their money!"

"How do you think they get your coffee?" Zexion felt the need to put his two cents, and the Mermaid's reaction pleased him to no end. It was priceless.

"Just shut up, you two! You don't understand a thing about girls," Kairi eventually exploded, her face a dark scarlet. She heard the two laugh, and even though it was at her expense, she couldn't help but join them soon after. "I need to go to the bathroom. Now. Do you guys want to come with me?"

Zexion made a face. "I don't exactly fancy doing strange things to girls in these microbes-filled rooms. And you're not really my type. No offense."

"None taken, but you're still coming with me," the girl stated, rising up.

She took a hold of the slate-haired boy's wrist and dragged him outside the classroom. Sora could see Zexion mouth "Wish me good luck" to him. Was it that bad? He'd just wait in the corridor…right?

The brunet shook his head before nasty images invaded it and looked around. There were only three boys left, everyone else had left. With a loud sigh, Sora leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He could hear distant voices talking in the corridors, feet taping the floor, the regular ticking of the clock hanging on the wall. Everything was so calm at the moment it was making him anxious. He didn't know why though. He usually liked silence. A soft thud was heard in front of him and for a moment, he thought Kairi was back and trying to surprise him. He expected her to poke him or startle him at any moment, but it never came.

_Tap, tap, tap_

There was only that sound. Annoyed, Sora opened his eyes and was about to tell whoever was making the noise to stop, only for his gaze to land on a spider walking around on his desk. He let out a half-scream, his fall cutting the cry mid-way. He landed on his bottom, but he quickly shot to his feet to get as far as possible from his desk and its evil occupant.

"What's wrong?" One of the boys asked, turning his head in Sora's direction.

The other two turned to what Sora's finger was pointing at. "Whoa, freaky!" Another one exclaimed, approaching the spider and looking at it from up close. "Where did it come from? It's huge!"

"Please, make it leave." Sora tried hard not to whimper, but he found it rather difficult. He saw his classmate bend over to take his shoe off. The brunet's eyes widened at that. "Wait! You're not going to kill it, are you?"

"I'm so not touching this. It could sting or give me a rash."

"Idiot. Spiders bite. They do not sting."

"Well, I don't want it to bite me, then."

Finally, the boy had his shoe in his hand and lifted it to kill the animal. He didn't lower it for Sora was in front of him, standing before his desk – but making sure he was far enough so that the spider wouldn't crawl on his clothes.

"What now? Just move, I can't kill it if you're in the way," the boy complained.

"What's the matter?"

All heads turned towards the door of the classroom where none other than Riku stood, arms folded across his chest and eyebrows raised. His gaze wandered from the trio to the brunet who, for once, wasn't trying to kill him with one look. In fact, Sora seemed almost grateful. A sudden movement caught the Vampire's attention and his eyes drifted to one of the desks. Riku saw a spider wandering aimlessly on the wooden surface, its long, hairy legs brushing against paper and a few pens scattered across a notebook. Riku then noticed the shoe in one of the boy's hand, and he understood the situation.

"Geez, it's just a spider," Riku sighed, walking in Sora's direction. He made the boys move out of the way and reached out to catch the eight-legged animal between his fingers, cautious not to hurt it. He then headed for the nearest window, opened it, threw the spider out, and finally closed the window. "There. It wasn't so complicated."

The three teens were making faces at him, talking about diseases and furiously rubbing their hands against their pants. That didn't surprise the Vampire so much. Sora's expression, though, was entirely different. He was genuinely surprised, and once more, grateful. What for, Riku wasn't sure.

"Thanks," the brunet muttered as the silver-haired boy passed him and left.

Riku paused at the doorframe. "No problem," he whispered before leaving.

x-x-x

"Those things must like you a lot. Out of all the desks in the entire school, it had to land on yours," Cloud mused, a smile tugging at his lips. He knew Sora wouldn't like to see someone laughing at the situation, but the nurse couldn't help it. It really was funny, wasn't it?

"I guess they do. You'd always find them in my room in Illusiopolis. It's a wonder my parents never found it peculiar," the brunet replied casually, scribbling in his notebook. Damn, that problem was really tricky. Algebra wasn't his thing, after all.

"I think it's actually a good omen," the blond man told him. He reached out to take the pen from the teen's hand, and wrote in the notebook. "These small things actually bring luck." As he talked, he solved the problem that Sora had been working on for the past half hour.

Sora blinked at the answer before scratching the top of his head. "What about the big ones? Hey, I really don't understand this," he said, tapping where Cloud had just written.

"A spider is a spider. The size doesn't matter," the nurse replied, stretching lazily on his chair. "You just need to replace the numbers with the ones your teacher used for this lesson. It's not that hard once you get the trick, really."

"You make it sound so simple," the brunet muttered, flipping through a book to the lesson they were currently working on. "That doesn't make me like them, though. They're too creepy. It's not right to have so many legs. I'm quite content having only two of them."

"Four," Cloud corrected him. The boy lifted his eyes and sent him a confused look. "Your arms count as legs, somehow. They're attached to your body too. We just don't walk on them, so we call them arms instead."

"Arms aren't called legs for a reason," the brunet insisted, bent on defending his point of view. "I say I have two. And that I still don't get it."

"As I told you, it's because you don't have flying arms that I call them legs, even though they're not legs."

"No, that's not what I was talking about."

Well, they were bound to lose track of their conversation, Cloud thought. He heaved a long sigh and tried to help Sora. He was relieved when the brunet seemed to understand everything he was telling him.

It was another calm day in the nurse's office, which Sora was grateful for. He didn't enjoy seeing ugly wounds, nor did he like to collapse and wake up with a headache.

Squall chose that moment to enter inside the room, this time greeting both boys. He said nothing else, and instead chose to stand behind Cloud. The younger brunet's jaw dropped as Squall buried his nose in blond spikes, sniffed them, and stayed that way, closing his eyes. A short while after that, Cloud stood and went to search something in one of the cabinets, Squall still close to him with his nose in his hair.

The teen couldn't stay quiet any longer. "Could you two possibly be…involved?" He asked tentatively.

"Involved?" Cloud repeated, blinking in surprise.

"Yeah. Are you two going out?" Maybe that was too direct but he couldn't stop himself from asking. Besides, he felt that Cloud wouldn't mind.

"No. What makes you think that?" The nurse asked, now looking amused.

"Oh, I don't know… Maybe it's the fact that he's been clinging onto you this whole time?" Sora replied, not as amused as the blond man.

"With time, you'll learn how complicated the relationships between Chocobos and Werewolves can be," the nurse told him wisely. He sat back at his desk, and the loud click of Squall's teeth didn't seem to faze him.

"You know, it reminds of those documentaries on TV. Some animals like to smell their prey before eating them."

"Don't worry, Sora. Squall will not eat me. Even if he wanted to, it wouldn't be possible for him to do so," Cloud joked with a bright smile. "Alright, I think that will be enough for today. You're free to go home," he added after a moment of silence.

Sora thanked him for his help, and gathered up his things. He saw his twin and Axel waiting for him at the school's gates, and he hurried up to join them. They walked in silence, with Sora sending glances in the two friends' direction every once in a while. Neither the Chocobo nor the Werewolf seemed to notice at first, but the light twitch of Roxas' eyelid told otherwise.

"If you need to ask something, just say it," Roxas eventually told his twin, annoyed by the staring.

"Do you guys hug?"

Axel came to an abrupt stop, the blond boy imitating him soon after.

"Excuse me?" Roxas asked, stunned.

"If this is about what happened this morning, just know that I don't – "

"Let me try again. Do Werewolves usually hug Chocobos?" Sora asked, blinking at the two boys as he waited for an answer.

"Well, no. Not really. Why do you ask?" Axel replied, frowning slightly. What could possibly make the brunet ask such questions? Apart from his odd behaviour from that morning.

"Just curious," the brunet said. He understood it wasn't his place to tell about Squall's strange closeness to the nurse, especially when it could be purely caused by the link the species shared. There was no need to give his twin and friend strange ideas that would end up being the school's new subject of gossips. Squall would know Sora started it, and the brunet was not keen on messing with another Werewolf.

Living in Twilight Town sure was tiring when he thought about it. He had to be careful about what he said, did, or the expressions he showed on his face. It felt as if the whole town was out to get him, the poor ex-Human child who had been raised to wish for the species' disappearance. But if he was totally sincere with himself, he wasn't the one they should feel sorry for, not at all.

Axel and Roxas exchanged worried glances at Sora's sudden sour mood, going as far as to offer to go get some coffee or ice cream. Their offer was kindly turned down though.

"Please, don't let him have another one of those breakdown sessions he seems to like so much," Roxas prayed to the Heavens, gazing up at the big, blue sky, an obviously annoyed expression on his face. Beside him, the Chocobo shook his head.

"Geez, talk about a heartless twin," the redhead stated, pushing the blond playfully. He might have said that but he secretly hoped his friend's prayer would be heard. A brooding Sora was a pain.

x-x-x

It was decided that Zexion would be the one to suffer from Sora's ever changing mood that day. Axel's turn had been the day before, Demyx had never dealt well with brooding people, Marluxia was off running after some pretty girl that had caught his attention recently, and Riku was out of the question. His threat was still fresh in Roxas' mind.

That's why Zexion was currently cursing his closest friends to the deepest pit of Hell. He remained silent, and he generally ignored the brunet in favour of planning the other teens' demise. His lack of attention, though, caused him to bump into the brunet who had turned an intrigued look towards the slate-haired boy. Zexion raised a single eyebrow, the only one seen, and waited for Sora's question.

"Doesn't it bother you?" Sora asked when no one was around in the corridor. Once again, he was met with a raised eyebrow. "Your bangs. They cover your eye completely. You'll get bad eyesight or something like that if you don't get them cut."

"It would be useless. That eye can't see anymore, anyway," the other replied with a shrug. He frowned at Sora's hurt expression.

"How come?" The brunet whispered.

What the heck was wrong with that kid? He wasn't going to die just because of a blind eye.

"Just leave it, okay? It happened a long time ago, it doesn't matter any more," Zexion muttered, walking away only to have the younger follow him quickly. Why, oh why did he have to suffer more than necessary?

Sora wanted to comment on the boy's reply but thought better of it. "Maybe… Maybe I could take a look at it? I could heal it so that you can see again," Sora offered, once again standing in front of Zexion to make him stop, which worked.

"You can't. Healers cannot heal Humans, only species. And before you ask, yes, I did try to see one, but it was just another waste of money," Zexion stated. "_Just like with all those doctors my parents made me see,_" he thought bitterly, but his resentment wasn't directed at his parents.

Sora looked down at his feet and clenched his hands into trembling fists. "I'm so sorry," he whispered loud enough for Zexion to hear. Students suddenly came from everywhere, and filled the corridor again as the first bell rang throughout the school.

"What for?" The slate-haired teen couldn't help but ask. Really, that Sora boy was giving him more trouble than necessary, he thought with a sigh.

"I can't help you," the brunet replied.

Zexion was about to make a snide remark about the brunet trying to look more miserable than him, but bit it back when he noticed how sincere the younger boy actually was. Was he truly feeling that bad for not being able to help him?

"It's not your fault, so there's no need for you to apologize. Let's go now."

Zexion frowned again, seeing his words had no effect on the brunet. What could he say to make him stop being so down? He could feel the younger's dark aura slowly invading his own angry one.

"I hate it when I can't help someone. I swear I'll kick whoever did that to you in the nuts," the brunet threatened with a look that, at best, could be considered remotely angry. A cute sight, Zexion thought. Cute and naïve, but in a good way.

"So you're considering me a possible friend now?" Zexion questioned, raising a curious eyebrow and folding his arms across his chest. "Or do you just pity me?"

"Of course not!" The brunet explained. "I mean, of course I'm not pitying you! It's just that I get so upset whenever I hear about bullies. I don't get what makes them think they have the right to annoy and hurt other people. Makes me feel so irritated," Sora mumbled, puffing his cheeks out.

Zexion had to hide a smile. "It's unbelievable how you guys are actually the same," he stated after a short pause. "Riku told me the same thing a long while ago."

"No way am I like him," the brunet stated stubbornly, even more irritated at the mention of the Vampire's name.

"You're right. He knows how to stay out of trouble," the slate-haired teen teased, entering their classroom.

Sora stood at the doorframe, his mouth wide open before his brain worked again. "What is that supposed to mean?!"

That little talk had made Zexion like Roxas' twin a bit better, and it helped lighten said twin's mood too. Sora was still a whiny brat in his eyes, but he could feel that under that unpleasant façade, the brunet was nothing but a kind boy. He just had to show it more often, and maybe Riku himself would come to realize how alike they were. Zexion doubted it would be so easy though. Being the stubborn Vampire he had always known him to be, Riku would never admit it, even to himself.

Maybe Roxas was right. Riku could be a jerk sometimes, but that was a part Zexion had grown to like, if not to envy. Maybe his right eye would still be intact if he had been more like Riku before… But that was foolish thinking.

"Zexion, come on! Cheer up! Look, it's sunny outside," Demyx chirped next to him in the cafeteria.

"Alright, what was the point in saying that?" Riku asked slowly, eyeing the dirty blond Chocobo suspiciously.

"Isn't it said that the sun makes people cheery?" Demyx asked, now doubting his theory.

"It's obviously not working on him," the Vampire stated, tilting his head in Zexion's direction before stuffing his mouth with lettuce. Demyx could only grimace at that, never having been one for the flat, green thing. The sight, though, seemed to amuse Axel to no end.

What was funnier than watching a Vampire eat lettuce?

"Don't bother him. It's just not a good day for him, I guess," Sora intervened quietly, picking at a fry that wasn't so appealing to him.

"Speaking of that, it looks like you're in better spirits than this morning. What happened?" Axel asked, finding that teasing Sora would be a better entertainment now that Riku had decided to take the bits of onion out of his salad.

Sora and Zexion exchanged a quick look at that. "Nothing, really," the brunet replied with a shrug, eventually eating the unfortunate fry that had been stabbed over and over.

"I didn't know you don't like onions," Roxas told the silver-haired boy, feeling that the subject needed to be changed.

"I do like them, just not at school. Gives me bad breath," Riku simply replied, eating more lettuce. Roxas rolled his eyes at that.

"Do you ever eat anything else? You're always getting salad for lunch. I doubt you're full after eating only that," Marluxia eventually said, reminding everyone of his presence at the table.

"Everyone's not eating like a pig," the Vampire retorted, a playful glint in his eyes.

Marluxia was about to reply to that, but changed his mind. "He's right, Demyx."

"I do not eat like a pig!" The Chocobo exclaimed incredulously.

"When did we say that you do?" The silver-haired teen told Demyx, smiling mischievously. Beside him, Roxas heaved a long sigh.

"Demyx, when will you learn not to fall into people's traps so easily?" The Werewolf said, feeling sorry for the poor boy that was now the victim of Riku and Marluxia's incessant teasing. It was a wonder how Demyx still hadn't decided to leave their group.

The friendly atmosphere at their table was interrupted by the voice of someone calling Sora from the other side of the cafeteria. When the brunet spotted spiky, blond hair, he understood what had Cloud asking for him outside of his shifts at the nurse's office.

"Be right back," Sora told his friends as he stood up to join Cloud, ignoring the glances thrown his way as he crossed the whole room. Maybe he should suggest his friends sit near the entrance, just in case he had to leave quickly again.

"What's the matter?" Sora asked, following the blond man in the corridors and to the nurse's office.

"A fight broke out, and there are a few hurt kids. Luckily, none of them have serious injuries, but I think you'll need some rest after taking care of their wounds," the blond man explained, opening the door to his office.

Surely enough, there were many injuries to be tended. A few students had black eyes, some had cuts on their arms and faces. There was even one boy who had had his finger broken during the fight.

Sora couldn't believe how such a bulky guy could scream so much.

Somehow, it reminded him of himself when faced with his worst, eight-legged fear. The brunet found it reassuring that even big kids screamed like little girls. He swayed a bit to the side after healing the last wound, and Cloud took it as the boys' cue to leave. One problem remained, though. He couldn't leave Sora or the teens alone. As usual, Squall seemed to sense his friend's unease and made his entrance right then.

"Right on time! Squall, could you please take them to the headmaster's office? They just fought inside school ground," Cloud quickly explained to the stoic brunet. Squall nodded his agreement, and glared at the teens, who obeyed like good little puppies.

"How come I'm feeling so weak now?" Sora wondered out loud, putting a cool palm on his forehead. He let Cloud lead him to the bed and help him lie on it, quickly covering him with a light blanket.

"Remember that training I told you about?" The nurse asked, reaching under the cover to grab Sora's shoe. The teen blushed profusely and told the man he could take his shoes off himself. "Using your powers is tiring when you've just acquired them. It's okay with small wounds, but once healing an injury becomes more difficult, it's another story."

Shoes fell to the ground before Sora shifted to lie more comfortably. "Is that why I collapsed after healing Squall?" It felt strange calling the tall brunet that but he had no idea what else he could call him, seeing as he didn't know his last name. "His injury wasn't that serious though."

"In his case, it wasn't only the skin you had to repair. You had tissues, muscles, maybe veins to heal too. That's a lot for a newbie," Cloud explained, taking a seat next to the bed. He smiled at the teen. "But don't worry. Soon, it'll be child's play. The more you'll use your ability, the less it'll drain you."

"You sure know a lot… About this stuff," the teen mumbled between a few yawns. "You really are smart."

"When have I ever been anything but smart?" Cloud teased, watching Sora go to sleep.

The blond nurse stood and sat at his desk, writing a report about the small group of fighting boys and what wounds had to be healed. He made a copy for himself, as he usually did, as a precaution. The secretary had an uncanny tendency to loose documents, Cloud had quickly realized. The door to the nurse's office opened as he finished the replica and put it in the first drawer of his desk. Squall was back, and he threw a curious glance at the slumbering brunet. Had it been so tiresome to heal a small bunch of kids?

"Thanks for your help. I owe you," Cloud said from his spot at the desk, giving one of his rare smiles to the scarred brunet.

"He's beat," Squall stated bluntly, not believing how weak the teen actually was. That much Cloud could read on his friend's face.

The blond shook his head. "He's had a lot to do. Cuts, bruises, broken bone," the nurse listed. "You wouldn't believe how tiring it can be to be a Healer."

"You sound like you know a lot about that," Squall muttered, taking his place behind Cloud to burry his nose in blond strands.

"Aerith and I were close friends, after all. She might have been gifted, but it still didn't make it easier for her," Cloud said with a light chuckle as he remembered his childhood friend. It had been a while since the last time he had news of her. Maybe he should send her an email. "You're awfully cuddly lately," he noted, feeling arms wrapping around his broad shoulders.

"Maybe I just feel lonely," Squall replied, puffs of hot breath tickling the blond's neck as he talked.

"Isn't Rinoa around?" Cloud asked, turning his head to have a better look at the other man. It didn't help much, though, seeing as Squall's arms were in the way.

"I'm not talking about _that_ kind of lonely."

A long silence followed the sentence.

"Well, you'll have to come back later, then," Cloud decided.

xx—xx—xx

In case someone was wondering about it, yes, some spiders do make sounds when they walk around. That's how one woke me up right after I decided to go to bed. I was so glad then that I couldn't see it too clearly. (having bad eye-sight can't have only inconveniences) So, yeah, that's it for the uninteresting fact. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and added this story to their favourites. =) It means a lot to me!


	5. A kindness that hurts

Disclaimer : Kingdom hearts and its characters do not belong to me.

xx—xx—xx

Cursed are everywhere. That specie is probably the most common one. Cursed are not different from humans, but still not humans. People are generally born as Cursed and sometimes, the curse disappears after a while. Others stay that way until death. My aunt Tifa, for example, is one of them. Her hair turns white whenever she gets angry, and then turns back to black once she calms down. As for Roxas, I have yet to see it for myself, but I was told he grows a beard when he sneezes. And that it definitely doesn't look good on him.

_Chapter 05 :__ A kindness that hurts_

Sora didn't expect to wake up in a place he didn't know. Startled, he suddenly sat up, immediately regretting it when he started to feel dizzy. He brought a hand to his temple and massaged it delicately – which didn't make the dizziness go, by the way – and looked around.

Oh right, he had been in the infirmary, and he had started to feel really sleepy after healing those guys. Alright, that was one thing to not worry about any more. Now, if only he could understand why Squall's hand was down Cloud's pants, it would make things a lot better. Or not.

Both men were staring at him, obviously not having expected him to wake up so suddenly. Cloud was squirming and trying to let the brunet know that it might be a good idea to stop, while said brunet was back to throwing daggers at Sora.

Some things never change.

"You better not tell anyone about this," Squall said, his glare darkening with each word he spoke.

Cloud started and pushed him away. "Don't you threaten him, you idiot!" He said, his voice nearly hysterical. "Please, Sora, this is not what you think it is!"

At that, the teen frowned. "Was he abusing you?"

"Wha-No, of course not!" The blond immediately replied, shaking his head vigorously. Squall chose to place his hands on the nurse's shoulders, glare still in place. "Actually, it's quite complicated."

"How? Are you guys not going out? Or did you lie to me about that?" Sora asked, looking hurt. He thought he was close enough to Cloud to not be lied to.

"We are not," the blond stated firmly.

"But he was… Touching you," the teen insisted, making a face.

"We're friends with benefits, okay?" The Werewolf eventually intervened, letting go of Cloud's shoulders to take a step towards Sora. "And as I said, you better not go and tell about it, or I'll see to it that my pack makes your life a living Hell."

Sora wasn't going to doubt that.

"What he's actually trying to say," Cloud said, annoyed by Squall's sudden bitterness – and maybe because they had been interrupted, "is that we don't want this to be known by everyone. I guess you do understand that, right?"

The teen could only nod in agreement, his gaze not leaving the Werewolf's.

"Good. I suggest you go now. Thank you for your help," the Chocobo told Sora, a bright smile on his face.

Sora shot to his feet, grabbed his stuff – his friends probably brought his bag when he was still out cold – and left. He heaved a long sigh, relieved, only to jump slightly at the sound of something, or rather someone falling heavily on what he assumed was the desk.

Alright, it would be better to leave _right now_. He ran out of the school and back home – he had no idea why he kept running all the way to Tifa's but he did anyway – and heaved a long sigh once he closed the front door.

"Oh, right on time, kid," Tifa said, walking towards Sora, putting her coat on. "I'll be at a friend's for some time. Roxas went for a walk with Axel, so you'll be alone for awhile. Or maybe you want to come with me?" She asked hurriedly, checking the time on her wristwatch.

"I'll be fine by myself. I won't burn down the house, promise," Sora told her with what he hoped was a bright smile.

Tifa seemed to buy it and patted him on the head before leaving.

So that left Sora alone in a big house with enough time to ponder anything his mind could bother him with, and that was just what he didn't want.

"_Maybe I should have gone with Tifa after all,_" the brunet thought, wondering if it was already too late to grab his coat and find his aunt.

Sora took a good look around him and noticed traces on the furniture. Dust. The floor wasn't too clean either. Nothing too bad, though. He figured Tifa didn't have enough time to clean her house because of her work, and Roxas was either too busy with school or too lazy to help with the cleaning.

Alright, he knew what to do now.

x-x-x

One of the strangest event greeted Roxas and Axel when they got back to the blond's house. Firstly, they couldn't remember the last time the floor had shone so much. Secondly, salsa music could be heard coming from the living room, as well as shuffling. The teens exchanged wary looks, thinking that maybe Tifa had lost it. Slowly, they walked towards the living room and peered inside, only to gawk at what they saw.

There stood, or rather danced Sora as he washed the floor, his hips swaying from right to left to the beat of the music. Axel looked at Roxas with a big grin on his face. The blond was having a hard time suppressing his laughter. Sora kept dancing, sometimes attempting to sing but failing miserably as he didn't get whatever it was that was said. It took him about two minutes to realize he wasn't alone any more, and when he did, he dropped his broom and stared at the two with wide eyes.

"Since when have you gotten here?" The brunet asked quickly, his cheeks turning a bright red.

"Long enough to see you shake your –" Axel began, only to be interrupted when Roxas' elbow collided with his side.

The redhead rubbed his abused side and pouted at the younger. "What the hell happened to you? Why did you clean the house?"

"Is it so bad?" Sora asked, raising a single eyebrow.

"No, I mean : why do that out of all the things you could do?"

Sora shrugged. "I was bored."

"I watch TV when I'm bored," the Chocobo made known.

Roxas rolled his eyes but did not comment this. "What can we do to help?"

"What do you mean "we"?!" Axel exclaimed.

"I don't want him to do all the chores by himself. Besides, aunty will be really happy when she sees that the house is all clean," the Werewolf made known.

"Let's see," Sora began, putting a hand under his chin as he thought. "The corridor's done, the bathroom is squeaky clean too. The counters in the kitchen need to be cleaned. Take your shoes off though, the floor has just been washed. After that, I was planning to remove the dust and vacuum the bedrooms," the brunet explained.

"Got it. Axel, go fetch a duster and the vacuum. I'll be in the kitchen," Roxas ordered as he left the living room to let Sora finish what he was doing.

The brunet resumed his washing of the floor but not with as much enthusiasm as before the two boys entered. A few hours later, Tifa came back and whistled approvingly when she found no dirty spot in her house. She found the teens in the living room, watching TV. Roxas and Axel looked exhausted while Sora was watching a cooking program with great attention.

"I see you two had a hard time," Tifa stated as she approached the small group.

Axel waved at her as a greeting. "Sora did most of it," Roxas made known, not wanting to get all the praise when he didn't do that much. His conscience wouldn't allow that.

"Really?" The raven-haired woman asked, surprised. "Well, thanks for that. I was thinking about doing the cleaning myself when I had time," she said with an apologetic smile.

"It's okay. I used to do the chores often at home. Think of it as my way of repaying you for everything you're doing to help me," Sora told his aunt with a sincere smile that could almost bring tears to the woman's eyes. But she wasn't the emotional woman type so she just patted him on the head.

"How about we all go eat outside?" She offered with a bright smile. "Everything's so clean I don't want to risk making any stains."

"You'll have to, eventually," Sora told her with a sceptical expression. His mother usually found it amusing to stain the kitchen counters right after he had cleaned them.

"Come on, are you that unhappy to go to a restaurant?" Tifa teased him, punching his shoulder with so much strength that he fell off the couch. "Oh my god, are you alright?!" She exclaimed, kneeling next to him to help him up.

"Seriously aunty, you're a Chocobo in disguise, aren't you?" Roxas asked with a chuckle, also helping Sora up.

"That'll surely leave a nasty bruise," the brunet complained lightly, rubbing his abused shoulder. "Alright, let's go. I don't want to risk having something else broken."

x-x-x

The next day at school felt… Strange. There was no other word to describe it. The second Sora woke up, he knew the day wasn't going to be like any other one. Nothing different happened, yet he couldn't help but think something had changed somewhere. Axel and Demyx were as cheerful as usual, Zexion was gloomy and Marluxia flirty but something wasn't like it should be. A quick glance at Roxas didn't give him a reply, nor did Riku's bored expression.

But maybe Squall's pointed stare from the other side of the corridor was the explanation.

"_Geez, is he really expecting me to reveal their secret?_" Sora thought, taking a few notebooks from his locker.

He then realized all of his friends where with him, unlike the other days. It was usually just one of them watching after him. Maybe that was why he was getting that uneasy feeling…

"Sora, you ready yet? Classes are going to start soon," Zexion asked in his cool voice.

As if to prove his point, the first bell rang throughout the school, signalling to the students that it was indeed time to head to class. The small group parted into two and went their separate ways. Zexion glanced at the brunet, somehow feeling his anxiousness.

"Is something the matter?" He asked, looking in front of him to look as if he wasn't caring all that much.

"Just a bad feeling is all," the brunet replied with a quick shrug of his shoulders. "It can't be anything too serious. I'm usually wrong about this kind of things."

"Alright." Was all the slate-haired boy replied.

Sora pouted. Really, Zexion wasn't making it easy. The brunet was trying hard to be kind and friendly, but Zexion didn't seem to welcome his efforts. Maybe the fact that he didn't get along with Riku played a huge part in this. But all the others were also Riku's friends and that didn't stop them from getting along with the brunet just fine.

As usual, Zexion sat behind Sora, while Roxas sat to his right. Kairi was on his left and joking with him until their homeroom teacher entered. The students exchanged curious looks, seeing as they weren't supposed to have Homeroom, but when they spotted another man, they somehow understood what was going on.

"Be quiet," their teacher told them when a few students were still whispering among themselves. "Mr. Miura is suffering from a serious illness and won't be able to teach for a while. This is Mr. Wise. He'll be teaching you World History until he comes back from the hospital."

"He'll really come back, right?" Olette asked, sincerely worried for their teacher. Mr. Miura was really kind and explained well. No one in their class disliked him, and all were worried about his condition.

"Do not worry. His life is not in danger. Mr. Wise," the man greeted before he left the classroom.

The man who introduced himself as Ansem Wise had long, silver hair and a tanned skin. His amber, cold eyes studied every face while he told the teens a bit about himself, and what he expected of the class.

Sora and Roxas watched him with a deep frown before looking at each other. When they realized they were having the same reaction, they knew they were sharing the same opinion about the man.

"What aura do you see when you look at him?" Roxas asked Kairi.

The Mermaid raised an eyebrow. "Well, the aura of a Cursed. Don't you?"

Roxas merely nodded before looking at the silver-haired man. Something was definitely wrong with him, and he told as much when the bell rang and they had to go to another classroom.

"Roxas, did you feel the same thing as I did?" Sora asked cautiously when they were finally out of Ansem's hearing range.

"I'd say I felt nothing but that wouldn't be entirely true. I have no idea about what specie he belongs to," the blond twin explained, frowning. "I get you felt the same thing."

"Yeah, I did. But Kairi said he's a Cursed. How come?" He wondered aloud. "Maybe she got it wrong?"

"Species can't get another's aura wrong. You should know it," the blond told Sora.

But why were they the only ones who realized Ansem's strange aura? That did not make any sense. Or maybe the man was a Mermaid and sending strange vibes that made people see his aura differently? But what for?

"Only women can be Mermaids," Cloud said after Sora explained the situation to the nurse. "I met him earlier and I also felt he's a Cursed. You guys are thinking too much about this."

"But I can still tell others' auras well. It's only him," the brunet insisted.

"Just forget it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm busy," the blond man stated as he headed for his office, Squall waiting by the door.

Sora raised a single eyebrow at that. "Yeah, right. Just say he's waiting for you to do whatever you guys do when you're alone."

"Is that jealousy that I hear?" Cloud asked, turning his head towards the teen. To said teen's utter shock, the blond seemed dead serious.

"Why would I be?" Sora asked slowly, unconsciously following Cloud. "Besides, I was just trying to be sarcastic."

"It doesn't suit you all that well, then," the nurse told him, stopping beside Squall, who glanced at the two. "Are you sure you don't want to join us?"

Sora made a face at that. "Yeah, pretty sure."

"Then, how about you go to class now?" Cloud asked kindly, smiling from ear to ear.

He was so going to get it and enjoy it. Sora felt his stomach constrict, and for a moment, he thought he was going to puke right there.

"Maybe I'll stop by the bathroom first," the teen muttered as he walked away, hearing the door shut behind him.

If there was something other than people liking Vampires that he didn't understand, it was why some guys enjoyed going out in a romantic way with other guys. He had nothing against it – one thing he didn't have in common with his parents, for once – but it was so difficult to picture. And he certainly didn't want to know how things went past the kissing stage. That simple thought made Sora shiver, and he hurried up to his next class, as Cloud so kindly suggested.

The afternoon lessons went by rather quickly, and he was soon free to go home. He warned Roxas that he wouldn't be back for a while for he wanted to go to the mall. The only time he went there, he hadn't enjoyed it what with his parents being there and all. And quite frankly, he just wanted to be left alone for some time. It was suffocating to always have someone behind you watching your every move, so the brunet figured some alone time would do him good. And it actually did. There was no one to talk to, he didn't buy anything –which wasn't to some of the stores owners' liking – but he still enjoyed himself. The sun was beginning to set when he eventually exited the mall and he checked his phone to make sure he hadn't missed any calls. He noticed that his twin had sent him a text to ask if he was doing fine, and also when he was planning to go back home. Sora quickly texted him back to let him know he was on his way, and then pocketed the small device in his pants pocket.

Really, even though the day had begun so strangely, all in all, it had been a good day, Sora thought.

The brunet hummed a random tune as he walked, his hands in his coat's pockets. The streets became less and less crowded until he was in the one he and his two friends usually took to get to Tifa's house. The brunet blinked a few times when he spotted someone on the floor, and he quickly ran to the stranger's side.

"Are you alright?" The brunet asked, quickly searching for any injuries the person might have. He noticed a small cut on the stranger's arm and quickly put a hand on it to heal it, only to realize it was a Human he was trying to heal. It was useless.

"Just leave me alone, you-" A masculine voice ordered as the young man turned his head to glare at Sora, who realized he was trying to help none other than Seifer. The scarred blond frowned at him. "I thought I told you to not mess with me."

"You're hurt, idiot. Let me help you to at least get up," Sora insisted, making to grab Seifer's arm. He was roughly pushed away by the beanie boy, who shot up to his feet by himself.

"Me? An Idiot?" The blond asked, cracking his knuckles as he walked towards Sora. "I've had a bad day, and you waltz right here, tempting me to just smash that face of yours. Now, who's the idiot?"

The brunet got up and glared at the blond. Why did he have to be so nice to everyone? Heck, Seifer spent most of his time picking on him, and he still tried to help him! At least, that would be a good lesson. Do not help your enemies, or they'll take advantage of the situation and kick your ass, like Seifer was probably going to do. Sora squeezed his eyes shut when he saw the blond lift his fist, before it connected with his jaw, making it crack quite loudly. Sora fell on his butt, but was quickly lifted up when Seifer grabbed him by the collar of his coat, ready to throw his next punch. The brunet brought his arms to his face to protect it from the next blow.

But it never came.

Instead, he felt Seifer's grip on his coat loosen all of a sudden, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Riku try to burn the blond before him with just one look. It would have worked if it were possible. The brunet felt someone's hand on his arm, and when he looked to the side, he noticed it was Zexion's.

"What do you want? You jealous because you didn't get any?" Seifer sneered, ready to attack the silver-haired boy.

Riku's glare only hardened more. "I'm seriously not in the mood for this. I suggest you stop now, and save your sorry ass before it gets kicked so hard you won't sit for a whole month."

Seifer watched Riku, and then Zexion who was more than ready to help if needed. The scarred boy snorted before he turned and walked away, kicking a stone that happened to be on the pavement.

"Are you alright?" Zexion asked Sora, helping him to stand up.

"Yeah. Thanks," Sora whispered, lifting a hand to touch his sore jaw. He winced a bit when the soft gesture hurt him. He was glad that it wouldn't last long. "Thanks to you too," he mumbled, not quite meeting Riku's glare now directed at him.

"You dumbass! Don't go and help assholes like him! Or were you just waiting for him to hit you? What are you, a masochist?" The Vampire exclaimed, clearly angry.

Sora frowned at him. "What's your problem now? I just thanked you, you should be glad I did!"

"Don't listen to him. It's just not the right time," Zexion told the brunet with a light shake of his head. Sora threw him a confused look. "As the others would say, it's that time of the month."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Sora asked, touching his jaw once more. He heaved a sigh when it didn't hurt any more.

"Unlike what you probably think, Vampires do not spend all of their time drinking blood. There is only a week when they absolutely need it. Riku here tends to be a bit grumpy during that week."

"You mean more than usual?" Sora commented, which earned him another dark look from the silver-haired boy. "At least, that made Seifer go. I'm glad."

"But he's right about one thing, though. Why did you help that guy, Sora? That was really… Really," Zexion began, searching for the right word.

"Stupid, I know. I should really stop being too kind," the brunet said with a quick shrug. "I have to go now. Roxas will worry if I'm home too late. Thanks again for your help."

"Do you need us to go with you? Just in case he didn't go too far and is waiting for you," Zexion offered.

"That's some way to reassure him," Riku snorted beside his friend.

"Like you're one to talk. I'm sure you don't want him going home by himself either," Zexion retorted, folding his arms across his chest.

Riku looked to the side but didn't reply, silently admitting that the slate-haired boy was right. Now, that surprised the brunet. Soon after, they began to walk Sora to his aunt's house, talking about what they did after school. It turned out that the two were also in the mall and exited it shortly after the brunet. He really was lucky they happened to be around there, or he'd probably have suffered from more than one bruise after his encounter with Seifer.

"I really don't want you to experience the same thing as I did," Zexion told the brunet when they eventually began to talk about the small incident once more.

"What happened to you?" Sora asked, lifting his curious gaze up to look at Zexion. The latter frowned and refused to talk. Beside him, Riku sighed heavily.

"There was some jerk messing with him from time to time. One day, the prick got serious and attacked Zexion with a bunch of his friends. I got there a bit too late, though. I managed to take care of them by myself, but Zexion's eye was already damaged to the point it never saw again," the Vampire explained for his friend, who didn't look too glad that his past was revealed.

"That's horrible," Sora muttered, looking at the ground.

"They were all from my previous school. All people you would have loved," Zexion told the brunet, sarcasm dripping from his voice, though there was a hint of seriousness in it. "Riku told me later they were all Humans."

Now, Sora was feeling really bad. When he first got into his new high school, he hadn't hidden the fact that he didn't hold the species close to his heart. He even assumed that since Zexion was a Human, they'd get along really well. He understood now why the quiet teen was always so distant towards him. And also why he was always glaring at everyone passing him. Zexion was probably really distrustful of people after what happened to him.

With a quick nod to himself, Sora took a few steps forward, stood before Zexion and turned around to look at him, determined.

"Know that whenever you need something, you can ask me. If you need to talk, pass time or if you're short of money, I'll do my best to help you. You can count on me," the brunet told Zexion, his eyes reflecting how sincere he was.

For that, Zexion was grateful, and he gave one of his rare smiles. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

Hearing that, Sora grinned and took back his place next to the teen, glad he could make him smile. What he didn't see was that Riku had just the same expression on his face.

x-x-x

From that day on, things took an unexpected turn. In fact, there were two changes. Zexion was friendlier with Sora, which was a bit weird but it would feel normal in a mater of a few days. The other matter, though, would take longer to adapt to.

"Would you stop staring at me like that? It's disturbing," Sora muttered, his eyes going from his plate to Riku's face.

Even his friends didn't understand how it was possible for the Vampire to go from insulting the brunet constantly to looking at him like he was a precious jewel. It made Sora feel embarrassed, but the others found it extremely funny. Maybe a bit too much actually. It had happened soon after the Seifer incident and since then, the quarrelling came only from Sora's side. Riku usually ignored whatever it was the brunet said and just kept staring at him dumbly – from Sora's point of view.

"Seriously, Riku, what bug bit you lately? It's unbelievable how much you've changed," Roxas muttered, now feeling as awkward as his twin. Maybe he was beginning to feel what Sora was feeling, like other twins? Or was it the atmosphere that Riku created without really meaning to?

"Only idiots never change," the silver-haired teen replied, eventually grabbing his fork and eating his meal, a raw steak with a few French fries. It was still _the_ week and he couldn't go a day without tasting a bit of blood. He couldn't wait for the day he'd finally be able to eat normally again, like everyone else. It was really annoying having everyone look at his meal with disgusted expressions.

"Well, then, I liked you better when you were still an idiot," Sora replied, stabbing a French fry with more strength than necessary.

"Oh, so you liked me?" Riku teased, grinning when the brunet almost choked on his French fry. "Why, I feel so special."

"Asshole," Sora croaked, his eyes watering as he tried not to cough.

"Now, you shouldn't say such foul words during lunch," Demyx reprimanded Sora, but Demyx being Demyx, it wasn't really threatening.

"Dem's right. Besides, Sora, you were complaining about how Riku was mean to you, and now that he's finally acting almost like a human being around you, you're still complaining. I don't get you, man," Axel told the brunet.

Sora put a hand on his neck after he realised how that particular spot seemed to catch Riku's eyes. "He's acting as if I'm just some piece of meat. Just look at his eyes!" He exclaimed, suddenly fearing for his health.

His friends turned their heads towards Riku and, indeed, the Vampire was staring quite hungrily at the brunet's neck. Marluxia covered the silver-haired teen's eyes while Roxas told Sora to hurry up, and finish his meal.

"It'll be over after the week ends, you'll see," Axel tried to reassure Sora, his smile not really convincing.

Monday came and Sora let a long sigh pass his lips when he realized that what Axel had told him was right. But the Vampire was still staring at him quite often.

"_I really don't like this. At least, when he's being a jerk, I know how to react. But this…_"

"Sora!" A girl called him in the corridor as he was making his way to the infirmary. The brunet turned back and saw a girl from his class run towards him.

"Err, Olette, right?" He asked.

The brunette nodded. "Yep. Could you please take a look at my elbow? It's hurting a lot," she asked, smiling sheepishly.

"Sure. Let's go to the nurse's office first," Sora told her.

He led the way and made small talk all the while. It seemed like Olette was as busy as ever. Even though Halloween had long since passed, people from their school were still tricking and treating – but they were more tricking than anything else, really. A few girls ended up without a single hair on their heads, others had their faces covered with spots and a few of the bulkier guys' voices suddenly sounded very girly.

"It's more than one girl can take," Olette had said, and Sora wasn't going to discuss that. He had thought he was the only one busy with the other teenagers' problems, but it looked like Olette also had her fair share of issues to take care of.

Cloud took a quick look at the girl's elbow and claimed it was just sprained. Olette thanked the both of them, and she left the room with a small bounce in her steps. Sora waved at her and closed the door. Turning around, he saw Cloud walking very slowly toward his desk. Sitting on his chair took him even more time.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked, sitting in the chair that was placed next to the desk and that was solely his. The blond man raised a single eyebrow as he watched his assistant, who waited for an answer.

"Can't you tell?" Cloud asked, his eyes sparkling with amusement, a fact that disturbed Sora greatly since he thought the man was in pain. Why would it be funny?

"Well, not really. Is it you leg?" The brunet asked slowly, watching the nurse's expression carefully, searching for something that could give the answer away.

Cloud snickered. "Not really. I had some rough activity yesterday, and I'm paying for it now. Too much," the Chocobo muttered, rubbing the small of his back to ease the pain. Of course, that did nothing.

"Do you want me to take a look?"

To the blond's dismay, Sora was still clueless. How naïve could the kid be?

"I'm not sure you'd fancy taking a look at my ass," Cloud told him frankly, amused when he saw the teen's expression go from shocked to embarrassed. And then more embarrassed. The nurse cocked his head to the side lightly when it appeared that the teenager was thinking very hard.

"Maybe I could do something without you having to take off your pants?" Sora offered slowly, his gaze still not meeting the man's, for he was not comfortable with the idea. But knowing Cloud hurt disturbed him even more.

"I don't think this is a good idea. The pain will go away soon anyway, so don't bother. I'll be fine by tomorrow, or the day after at most."

"Well I don't want you to wait for so long. Get up, I'll heal you," Sora commanded quite firmly, rendering Cloud speechless, too surprised to say anything.

The nurse got up, and winced when he was too quick to stand. The teen hurried by his side and helped him to the bed.

"You really don't have to," Cloud insisted as he turned on his side to lie on his stomach. "Besides, if someone sees us, we're gonna be in a lot of trouble, I hope you know that," the blond muttered, sending a worried glance to the younger.

Sora patted him on the shoulder before he lifted the base of the man's white coat, and he let it lie at the small of his back. The brunet stared for a long while at the man's behind covered by tight, black pants, debating whether he should touch it or let his hands hover over it to heal it. The younger tried the latter option, only to mutter under his breath when it obviously did nothing.

"Excuse me, it'll only take a moment," Sora mumbled as he tentatively put his hands on Cloud's bottom.

He felt the blond's butt cheeks contract momentarily under his touch, and for a second, Sora couldn't help but marvel at their firmness. Cloud didn't look like it, but he was actually well-built. When Cloud cleared his throat quite loudly, Sora jumped slightly, and the teen realized then that he had been unconsciously kneading the man's butt.

Okay, that wasn't supposed to go like this.

"D-Do you feel better?" The brunet stuttered. He could feel his whole face burn from shame, from his neck to the tip of his ears.

"Not really," Cloud said truthfully, shrugging as much as his position allowed him to. "Even though that massage was enjoyable, I'm still hurting."

"I didn't do it on purpose," Sora defended himself, letting his hands fall by his sides. He scratched the back of his head, his eyes still glued to Cloud's body.

He really had no other choice, did he?

"_Just imagine it's yourself. Yeah, I'm just touching my own butt,_" Sora thought, nodding to himself, only to widen his eyes when he realised how wrong that sounded.

What sane guy massaged their butt cheeks?!

Sora frowned and decided to take action before his determination wavered.

"Unzip it," he told the nurse.

"What?!" Cloud exclaimed, shocked. "I'd rather suffer like this a whole week than let you touch me _there_!"

"Well, I'd rather do it than watch you limp around!" Sora protested, his hand disappearing under Cloud's abdomen to undo the button and zipper of the man's pants himself.

"I wasn't limping!" Cloud protested, his outraged gaze staring at Sora. "Stop that! What if someone sees us!"

"Stop yelling, and then no one will come and see what we're doing," the brunet retorted.

He nodded when he was finally done with the blond's pants, closed his eyes tightly, and he slipped his hands inside the articles of clothing.

He was so never going to do that again.

"Seriously, next time, don't do it on a school night. This is the first and last time I'm doing this," Sora muttered, willing himself to heal Cloud faster and be done with the whole thing.

"God, that feels so great," Cloud sighed, feeling the pain go away slowly.

"_Lucky you,_" Sora thought bitterly.

There was a long period of silence in the office while Sora kept using his ability, but since the brunet wasn't one to stay quiet for too long, he eventually broke it.

"Did Squall do that to you?" The brunet asked slowly, turning his head to look at Cloud. The blond man nodded in agreement. "Why don't you guys just go out since you're obviously past being friends?"

The nurse sighed and turned his head so that his cheek rested on the pillow. "It's no that simple. Squall is with Rinoa right now. I'm nothing but a mistress to him."

Now, that caught Sora's attention. "Are they married?"

"No. Doesn't plan to marry her."

"Why does he stay with her, then?" Sora asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"I guess he still likes her," the nurse offered with a shrug. "I'm not sure."

"He likes her, but he has… He does it with you?" The brunet asked timidly, not feeling audacious enough to say the word. It wasn't such a big deal for the other teenagers, but he was still what one would call a prude. Not having had a relationship before probably didn't help.

Cloud said nothing, but his eyes betrayed his thoughts. Sora could tell the situation upset the man, and even though they had kind of a teacher and student relationship, the brunet felt close enough to Cloud that the matter also saddened him.

"What about you? You like him, right? Don't you think it's unfair that he's using you the way he does?" The teen insisted.

"You can't understand, Sora," Cloud mumbled, closing his eyes. As embarrassing as it was, having Sora heal him felt really nice.

"You're right. I can't understand why you'd gladly suffer like that. I can't understand why you'd stay with someone who obviously doesn't like you. You deserve better than that," the teen retorted, puffing his cheeks out. There, now he was angry. "By the way, how come he hurt you like that? Chocobos are strong but don't take pain well?"

At that, Cloud chuckled lightly. "We may have a lot of strength, but the blows hurt us as much as they hurt people in general."

Sora simply nodded before he slipped his hand out of Cloud's boxers, and then pants. "'tis done," he let the man know, walking towards the sink in the corner of the room. The brunet washed his hands while Cloud sat up and zipped his pants up.

Sora grabbed a towel hanging next to the sink and dried his hands, still thinking about what the man had said. He really didn't get why Cloud would still allow Squall to touch him like that. Wasn't that treating Cloud like a mere object? Someone as kind as him deserved so much better.

The brunet jumped lightly when he felt arms wrap around his middle and bring him close to a firm chest.

"Thanks for your concern," Cloud whispered in his ear, sincerity evident in his tone of voice. Sora wasn't sure but it sounded like there was also a bit of sadness in it. The Chocobo's seriousness faltered almost instantly, though, as the brunet was spun around, and a hand came to rest under his chin to make him look up in the blond's blue eyes.

"I'm deeply indebted to you. What can I do to thank you properly?"

For what seemed like the hundredth time, Sora felt his cheek burn under the intense gaze, even if it was obviously just a joke meant to embarrass him.

And damn was it working well.

"Well, you could stop having a wild time before coming to school," the brunet replied, his eyes looking everywhere but in Cloud's.

The nurse released him and gave him one of his brightest smiles. "Speaking about that, I do hope you're ready to take responsibility."

"What for?" The brunet asked, confused.

"It's nice of you to tell me to go to someone else, but do you even have someone in mind that I could turn to? Or maybe you were indirectly offering to take Squall's place? Well, that would take care of my limping problem since I wouldn't be bottom any more," Cloud thought quickly, nodding to himself.

Sora paled. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but whatever it means, I'm so not agreeing to it."

The door to the office opened then, and revealed none other than Squall. The Werewolf looked at Cloud and nodded in acknowledgment, and then at Sora, but to the scarred man's utter surprise, the teen didn't even dignify him with a glance as he gathered his belongings and exited the room. Sora was too pissed at Squall right now to even look at him. The brunet felt it wasn't fair to act like that, because Squall would most likely question Cloud about the teen's behaviour, but he couldn't help it.

The teen's steps slowed down until he stopped completely, and he just stood in the middle of the empty corridor. Even though Sora was mad at Squall, he still hoped the man would come to his senses and break it off with his girlfriend. Then, Cloud wouldn't have to be the "mistress" any more, as he put it.

"Lost your puppy, kiddo?"

Sora recognized the familiar voice as Axel's and watched as the redhead walked towards him, an eyebrow raised.

"You don't look good," Axel added once he stood before the brunet.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine," Sora replied. He smiled at the Chocobo, who seemed to believe him, and returned his smile.

Axel looked up and pulled the teen towards him. "Fatty's going to land on you if you stay there," the redhead said.

Sora looked behind him and lifted his gaze up, only to see a big spider landing on the floor, crawling away hurriedly, sensing it wouldn't be safe for long on the floor. As if confirming the animal's thoughts, the shrill bell rang and announced the end of another period. Students spilled out of the classrooms, chatting loudly as they hurried out of the school. Axel put an arm around Sora's shoulders and led him to his locker.

"I swear those things love you," the Chocobo teased, an amused expression plastered on his face. "You sure you'll be alright?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me," the brunet replied.

"Roxas should be there shortly. He wants us to wait for him in front of his locker."

And so they waited. By the time Roxas joined them, Sora was feeling better and didn't think about Cloud's problem any more. His twin, though, didn't look like he was in his higher spirits, a fact that bugged Axel. If Roxas was down, Axel was too, and vice versa. It was just like what Sora felt with Cloud, except they weren't as close as the two teens were.

"I'm just walking you guys home today. My folks need me tonight," the Chocobo told the twins, his hands in his jacket's pockets to protect them from the cold weather. "I hope you won't miss me too much."

"I think we'll be fine," Sora teased, his reply earning him a noogie. "Hey, you'll make my hair messy!"

"No one will see the difference," Axel continued as they neared a stop light.

"Like you're one to talk," the brunet countered, pushing the redhead away to get his personal space back. "Isn't that right, Rox-"

Sora turned his head and saw his twin stepping on the road, not even noticing that their stop light was red.

"Roxas, watch out!" Axel shouted.

There was the honk of a car as its wheels screeched in an attempt to stop, but the vehicle still hit the blond, sending him falling to the ground.

xx—xx—xx

_You have__ a good example on how to make a serious scene ridiculous, or how to make a ridiculous scene serious; you pick. Well I know I had a lot of fun writing that part with Cloud. XD (must be awkward to be in this situation, though) Alright, I guess that's the last chapter I post before school starts so I'll say this now : expect this story to not be updated as regularly as it was until now. School will start soon, and my job will start even sooner. But rest assured, I'm not dropping this story, so be patient, please. =) The next chapter will be posted eventually. I'll try my hardest to not make you wait too long. 3 Thanks a bunch to everyone who left reviews and/or added this story to their favourites. I'm so grateful! \o/ _


	6. Revelations

Disclaimer : Kingdom Hearts and its characters do not belong to me.

Warning : language!

xx—xx—xx

There were still so many things I had to learn. For instance, Magicians aren't all Healers like me, or at least not powerful enough to use their abilities on people. There are Spell-breakers like Olette, Plant-healers… Naminé has her own ability I have yet to name. Actually, no one knows how to call it. Repairer, maybe?

_Chapter 06 :__ Revelations_

"Roxas!" Sora yelled from the top of his lungs, running to his twin's side. The blond must have at least a broken rib, what with the violent impact he made with the car. The brunet eyed the driver with a dumbfounded expression as said driver cursed and sped away quickly. Sora sensed the aura of a Wizzard coming from the stranger.

"Man, that jerk got me good," Roxas moaned, sitting up. Seeing that, Sora put his hands on his brother's shoulders to make him lie down.

"Idiot, don't move! We need to call an ambulance and – "

"Sora, calm down. Roxas isn't hurt," Axel cut him off quickly, helping Roxas to his feet and towards the walkway.

"Not hurt? Are you kidding me? I saw that car hit him!"

"Yeah, but it really is no big deal," Roxas told the brunet with a shake of his head. Now that the cross-light was actually green, they all crossed the street safely. "I'm tough like that."

Sora frowned, not sure he understood what that meant. Anyone would be hurt badly after such an impact, but for some reason, Roxas wasn't.

"I think it's time you learn one of the reasons why Chocobos get along just fine with Werewolves," Axel began, sensing the younger's confusion. "You already know we've got a lot of strength, correct? Well, Werewolves are strong too when it comes to taking blows. They're the only ones we can act normally with, because we don't have to worry about accidentally killing them."

"A car really is nothing compared to him," Roxas commented nonchalantly. "Scary, but not painful."

"But it certainly is not a reason to cross the street when you shouldn't," Axel scolded his blond friend with a stern look. For some reason, the blond twin didn't reply and just looked elsewhere.

"Well, I'd appreciate it if you warned me about those things before they happen so, you know, I don't have a heart attack or something," Sora muttered, sulking. Those idiots should have told him this sooner.

"We kind of forgot?" The Chocobo offered with a shy smile. "Anyway, what is wrong with you, pal? It's no like you to be suicidal," he asked Roxas.

The blond boy merely sighed. "Not sure. I was fine, but I just felt strange all of a sudden. I don't know if I'm upset or just sad. It's disturbing," he explained, frowning.

"Oh, really? Hey, weren't you feeling down too when I saw you in that corridor in school?" Axel asked Sora, watching him curiously. "So it is true that twins feel the other's feelings."

"What was bothering you?" Roxas asked, ignoring Axel's last comment.

That took Sora aback. He wasn't exactly expecting his brother to ask about it. Then again, Roxas tended to worry easily, so it was to be expected. Now, the only problem that remained was how to explain everything. The brunet couldn't reveal the nature of the school's nurse and Squall's relationship. He'd be a dead man if he did. He chose to give an ambiguous answer and hoped with all his might that it would suffice to satisfy his brother's curiosity.

"Well, there's this friend that has some issues and I was just worried. No big deal, really," Sora half-lied. He scratched the back of his neck, trying to calm down. Why was his heart beating so fast, all of a sudden? It really was no big deal. Right?

"A friend," Roxas stated. He was having doubts, that much was certain. "Don't tell me you're in trouble. Is it Seifer again?"

"What? No! It's someone else. I mean, someone else is having troubles. I promise it doesn't concern me," the brunet quickly explained.

"But you're still worried," Roxas dead-panned again.

"Just let it go, pal. It's obvious he doesn't want to talk about it yet," Axel eventually intervened. "Don't let it get to you too much, Sora. Okay?"

Sora nodded in agreement, giving a small smile. He'd do anything for the day to be over and forget about the matter of Cloud's poor excuse of a love life.

x-x-x

Maybe, just maybe, the brunet liked the day before better. What was sure was that the other students were awfully glad they weren't in his shoes.

"_Those ungrateful bastards. I've helped half of them and now, they're just watching me get in trouble,_" he thought, seeing Squall approach him briskly.

The Werewolf was pissed off, and he was determined to have a word with Sora, not caring if the teen agreed or not. The adult grabbed him roughly by the wrist, and glared at Marluxia for good measure before he stormed off to the nearest bathroom. The man kicked out the teens inside it, and then locked the door.

A deafening silence filled the confined space, leaving Sora nervous and down right scared. Was he going to get beaten up here, like the kids in those lame movies? Or like the lamest kids bullied by lame bullies? And what is really the right time to think about such trivial things?

"What the fuck have you told him?" Squall asked calmly, his eyes still showing he was actually far from composed. 

"Who is "him"?" Sora tried.

"You know damn well who I'm talking about. Cloud was acting strange after you left, and now he wants to stop everything," Squall spat, walking towards the younger boy, who stepped back quickly. Sora made a face when his back hit the wall. "So, I'm asking you what you told him."

A quick look around him informed the young brunet he wasn't going to escape this. Alright, then he might as well give the Werewolf a piece of his mind. That would give him a good reason to hit him if he even intended to.

"He told me everything. He told me how you're just using him. He now knows about my feelings on the matter, and it seems to me he took my advice. It's useless for him to stay with you if all it brings him is pain."

Squall growled lowly and grabbed Sora by the collar of his shirt, easily lifting him up with just one hand. Sora stood his ground, though, and glared at the man.

"I am not using him, you brat. Stop messing with things you can't even understand, got it?"

"How are you not? You go to him and have your way with him, and then you run back to your girlfriend! What do you think Cloud feels like every time you leave him behind like that? It's not fair! Not at all! And that stupid Chocobo said nothing because he likes you that damn much!"

"Don't you dare call him stupid!" The Werewolf roared, throwing the teenage boy to the floor. Squall only realized then what he had just done and made to help the younger up.

Sora slapped his hands away though, too angry at the man to accept his help. "If you like him, you'll let go of that poor girl and go to him for good."

x-x-x

That was insane. Completely unheard of. Impossible, even. Such things weren't supposed to happen.

Roxas was by Hayner's side, whispering words of comfort that unfortunately did nothing to ease the poor boy's mind. Hayner kept repeating the same words over and over, like they would break whatever curse had fallen upon him.

"This can't be real. This can't be real," he whispered, his face buried in his hands.

Roxas lifted his head up when he heard someone entering inside the classroom. He spotted his twin behind the crowd that had formed around them.

"What's going on here?" Sora asked, worried by the stern atmosphere inside the room.

"Sora, you're finally back! Please, help Hayner," Olette asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

Sora panicked when he noticed how desperate she looked, and he awaited the worst. He elbowed his way towards Hayner, pushing his classmates roughly when they didn't budge. At first, the brunet was relieved to see that Hayner was still alive and not physically hurt. But what he noticed, though, felt strangely off.

Hayner had no aura anymore.

Sora still remembered sensing a Wizard's aura around the boy. He was sure of that. So how was it possible for Hayner to not have it anymore?

"Can you…" Roxas began, lifting his eyes up to look at his brother. "Can you try to help him? Please?"

There was desperation in the blond's voice, and that fact alone made it hard for Sora to accept. Not that he didn't care. He was afraid of what might happen if he couldn't do anything to help Hayner. But wouldn't be worse to not even try?

New-found confidence gave strength to the brunet, who stepped forward and stood before the depressed teen. Sora hesitated for a moment before he put his hands on Hayner's shoulders. A chill went down his spine, caused by the simple touch. There really was nothing left inside of the boy, and Sora could feel it inside of himself. It made him so sad. It was like a part of himself had just been ripped off to never be back. Now, the brunet could understand why the faces of the kids in the crowd looked so grim. He was sure he had the same expression on his face at that moment.

His heart felt even heavier when he realized with horror that he could do nothing. Slowly, as if afraid of Hayner's reaction, Sora let go of the boy and shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He heard shuffling behind him and turned around.

"What do you mean, "you're sorry"? Are you a Healer or not? Do something!" A boy shouted.

Sora wasn't sure but he thought the guy was named Pence. He was always hanging out with Hayner and Olette. Said girl tried to calm her other friend down, but failed miserably. The brunet saw the crowd closing in on him, half of the looks angry and the others clearly disappointed.

Disappointment. It was one of the few things Sora couldn't deal with.

"Stay the hell away from my brother!" Roxas cried loudly, surprising his classmates.

He stood before his twin, defying anyone to come and stop him. He then took Sora by the wrist and led him outside of the classroom, where they would be alone.

"You okay?" The blond brother asked, concerned. He hadn't failed to notice how pale Sora's face was.

"Yeah, I- " the brunet began, only to not find his voice any more. He breathed deeply. "I don't know. I could literally feel it, Roxas. It was like… I don't even know what to compare it to." The Healer remained silent for a while. "I truly wish I could do something. He's so sad, Roxas. It'll drive me mad if I let him be like that."

"Sora, you are not to blame," Roxas reasoned, putting strong hands on his brother's shoulders. "You did your best, and that's what matters."

"But they were all expecting a lot from me. I disappointed everyone! I don't want that."

"They're just sad. Things will get better soon. I promise," the blond tried to comfort Sora. The later smiled a little, and Roxas found it encouraging.

"What will get better soon?"

The blond twin couldn't hide his grimace. Riku had the worst timing sometimes. Sora watched as the Vampire approach them, looking as if he were expecting Riku to attack them at any moment.

"It's Hayner. He's lost his ability. We don't know how it happened yet," Roxas explained quickly.

Riku frowned. "Lost it? How could that possibly happen?"

"If we knew, this wouldn't have happened," the blond replied quite bitterly. He knew taking his frustration out on Riku would do nothing to help the situation, but he couldn't help it.

"I can't even give it back. This is really annoying," Sora added, not noticing the tense air building around them.

"Maybe you should ask my father," the Vampire eventually told the two. "He knows many things. I get the feeling that he might help you guys. Besides, I'm curious as to how one looses their ability. Wait for me after sixth period. We'll go to my house together."

"Actually, I can't join you guys. I promised Hayner I'd walk him home and stay with him for a while. Sorry," Roxas told his friend with a sheepish look.

x-x-x

If it weren't for Hayner's sake, Sora would have held a huge grudge against his twin. Leaving him alone with Riku like that was unforgivable. But, as mentioned earlier, it was all to help Hayner, so he wasn't as mad as he should be. And really, Riku wasn't that bad. For a short while.

The brunet was following Riku silently, mentally thinking that he was insane to stay with a Vampire. Yet, said Vampire was a friend of his twin's, so it should be fine. Right?

"There are a few things you must know before you meet my father," Riku began, not bothering to look back to see if Sora was paying attention to what he had to say. "He's pretty anal when it comes to politeness and respect, so I suggest you don't talk to him the way you talk to me. No cuss words either. You don't want him to hear you say one of those, believe me."

Sora nodded unconsciously, half listening to what the older was saying. His attention was caught by his surroundings at the moment, so concentrating on the words spilling out of the silver-haired boy's mouth was difficult. Riku's house looked awfully plain and, well, normal. It was nothing like the creepy, old houses you'd see in movies, where vampires usually lived. This house was just like all the other ones. Very white, too. Its inhabitants must love the colour.

Riku entered, holding the door opened to let his guest in. He instructed the younger to take his shoes off, and then led him inside the house. Looking around him, Sora saw walls painted in warm, soft colours with pictures hanging on them. The brunet noticed Riku was in most of them, only a few showing a man and a woman that Sora supposed were the teen's parents. The resemblance between Riku and his father was uncanny, while his mother looked nothing like him. Her dark hair and soft expression were certainly something Riku didn't get from her. His father, though, had the same pale hair and severe, cold expression.

If mere pictures could make Sora feel uneasy, he didn't want to know what meeting the man in person would do to his nerves.

"What is your father's job?" Sora asked tentatively, after he noticed the man wore some sort of uniform in a few photos.

"Well, he's studying the Species. His job is to travel and collect information on them, especially if they're new or completely unheard of," Riku replied smoothly, almost in a bored fashion. "But most of the time, there's nothing new for him to tell his superiors about."

"You mean there are that many Species?" Sora asked, tilting his head to the side. The subject intrigued him.

"Those in school are just the common ones. Actually, hundreds of Species have been recorded, but some are so uncommon that you don't meet them really often. There was one special kind reported centuries ago that hasn't been encountered again. The guy was from two Species, but I can't remember which ones exactly. You'll have to ask dad to find out," the older explained calmly. He eventually stopped before a door, and turned around so that he could look Sora in the eye. "We're here. Remember what I've told you : be polite, no cuss words. Ready?"

Sora nodded in agreement, even though he wasn't sure he wanted to meet the man, in the end. Riku didn't let him ponder it and knocked twice before he opened the door, not waiting for an answer. They entered a small study room, in which sat an expensive-looking desk. Behind it sat the man with long, silver hair Sora had seen in the photos.

"Hey dad. I brought a friend home," Riku greeted him, walking towards the imposing adult with confidence that Sora lacked when he followed the teen.

"Good afternoon, Riku," Sephiroth replied with a cool voice. "Is he the Healer you've mentioned before?"

"Yep, that's him. His name's Sora, by the way," the young Vampire introduced.

The brunet could only blink in surprise. Riku was talking about him? Now, he hoped he didn't say anything stupid or harsh.

"I'm Sephiroth. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Sora," the man introduced himself, extending a hand to shake the teen's.

Sora complied, but not without hesitation. Sephiroth was also a Vampire, and he didn't know if he could trust the man. Heck, trusting Riku was still out of the question, so there was no way his dad would be treated differently.

"Interesting. Your aura feels pretty new to me. When did you acquire your ability?" Sephiroth questioned, standing up to come and walk around Sora as if he were a fascinating subject.

"A-about a month ago, I think," the brunet stuttered, not daring to look Sephiroth in the eye. Would he consider it a rude gesture?

"Thought so. Abilities usually awaken when children begin hitting puberty. You're really late," the man mused. "But your aura is really strong. I think you'll catch up really quickly, if it's not already the case."

"Cloud's using him as an assistant at the school's infirmary," Riku made known, leaning his hip against the desk, and folding his arms across his chest.

"Good decision," the older Vampire declared, nodding to himself. "Why did you bring him here?"

"He has questions for you."

When Sephiroth turned his gaze in his direction, Sora assumed it was his cue to ask said questions.

"There's someone at school. He lost his ability today, and I couldn't help him recover it. I was wondering if you could give me some tips about that," Sora said, looking the man in the eye.

Sephiroth closed his eyes for a while, and thought. The matter seemed to worry him.

"It's not the first time it happens. We've recorded several cases such as this one throughout the country. We're still searching for the cause of those losses, but so far, we're still empty handed. What Specie was he part of?"

"Wizard," Sora replied. Sephiroth nodded but didn't talk. "Actually, there might be something else I'd like to ask you, if it's okay," the brunet added, suddenly remembering something.

"Go ahead," the man instructed.

"There's this guy who has a strange aura. I can't tell what it is, but everyone else says he's just a Cursed," Sora explained. Behind Sephiroth, Riku frowned slightly at that but said nothing.

"I can't give you an answer right now. You'll have to wait and let me do some research on that," the man replied, walking back to his desk. He sat down and grabbed the pen he had let go of when the teens had entered earlier.

"Alright. Thank you for your help," Sora said politely, following the other boy out of the small study.

x-x-x

World History was really, really boring. Sora had never had any problem in that subject and actually enjoyed it, but his classmates having so much difficulty made it a class he would gladly skip. But he doubted the teacher would agree. So, Sora, being the good boy that he was, helped his friends whenever he could. Kairi didn't seem to have as many problems as the other teens, so she helped too, sometimes, when she felt like it.

"How come you can't remember such an important date? It's one you should know as well as your own birthday," the brunet reprimanded a suddenly shy Roxas.

"It's not my fault I have such a bad memory. You took it all from me when we were born," the blond tried to defend himself, pouting at his sheet of paper.

"Are you blaming me?" Sora asked, frowning a little.

"Well…"

Something was definitely up with his twin, Sora was sure of it. Roxas wasn't actually one to forget things so easily, even if he disliked World History with every fibre of his being. The brunet had his ideas as to what was causing Roxas to be so out of it, and he avoided the subject like the plague. All of their friends did.

Sora threw a glance at Zexion, who could only shake his head, silently advising him to not ask any question to the blond. It was difficult not to, though.

Their teacher suddenly lifted her head up when someone knocked on the door, and entered, not waiting for the teacher to answer. Inside stepped Cloud, looking extremely serious. One glance at Sora was enough for the boy to understand he was needed. Sora stood from his seat and joined the nurse, leaving the classroom quickly.

"What's going on?" Sora asked, worried. What could have happened that had Cloud coming to his class?

"I'll tell you in my office," was all Cloud said. So Sora waited until they were inside the small, white room. The teen was expecting someone to be in the bed, but it was currently empty. Sora raised an eyebrow at that.

"It's about Squall," the nurse began, closing the door to the office behind him.

Sora gaped at the blond man. "You did not make me skip class to talk about your love life?" He asked with a disbelieving look.

"But it's important, Sora!" The nurse defended himself, turning towards the younger boy. He put his hands on Sora's shoulders. "He's breaking up with his girlfriend. He's leaving her for good!"

The teen frowned. Wasn't it what Cloud wanted? Sora asked him just that.

"Well, yes. No, I mean I didn't. Or maybe I did?"

"Let me sit down," Sora began, sensing the conversation would be long and tiring. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and took the plunge. "You want to be with him, don't you?"

"Yes, but what about Rinoa?"

"Well, he's not cheating on her any more now that they broke up," Sora replied without missing a beat. "I wouldn't want to be with someone who's constantly hurting me. I'd rather be left alone," the younger explained, looking at his feet. "And don't say I don't know about those kinds of things. This time, I truly do."

"It's about your parents, right?" Cloud guessed.

Sora nodded. "Tifa's really sweet. I don't remember meeting someone as caring as her. I never said it to Roxas, but sometimes, I'm really jealous of him. He is so lucky to live with someone as great as her. I find it really hard to believe she's my mother's sister. They are so different."

Cloud said nothing for a while, thinking about the teen's words. "I hope Rinoa will find someone like that, too. I've met her a few times. She's a good girl, you know."

"I guess she is," Sora vaguely replied. What could he say? He didn't know her at all. "So, is everything alright now?"

"Not quite. I'm still not sure that I want to be with Squall."

"How come?" The teen asked, confused.

"We were basically fooling around. It would be something serious this time. I don't know if it'll work."

"Why not try and see? Squall obviously likes you a lot. Besides, wouldn't it feel nice to have him just to yourself?" The brunet asked, grinning. He saw Cloud frown a little, probably thinking.

The nurse eventually agreed, and decided to give it a try – even though it wasn't likely that the men would break up. The Werewolf wouldn't allow it. Sora was about to leave the nurse's office, when the door was opened abruptly, two teens standing on the other side.

"Nurse Strife!" One of the boys exclaimed, almost scared.

Next to him stood a boy, who had the same expression as Hayner after he lost his ability. This one had lost his aura too.

x-x-x

"That is some scary shit. I'm not coming to school until they find out what's causing this," Axel swore, leaving the school building, the twins and Riku by his sides.

"It can't be a mere coincidence," Sora thought aloud. "It makes me think of a disease, but I'm pretty sure that's not it. They just feel like Humans inside. There's nothing. A disease would weaken their powers, but not annihilate them completely, wouldn't it?"

"I don't know, Sora," Roxas replied, sighing miserably. The whole matter was getting to him really bad. Axel wrapped an arm around the Werewolf's shoulders to give him silent support.

"I'll talk about it with my father. Maybe he found something on the matter," Riku offered. "I really hope he did. I don't like this at all."

"Neither do I," the Chocobo added, hiding a shiver with difficulty. "It's not right, and it makes Roxas feel down. I can't let such a thing keep happening."

The redhead kept walking, his friend close to him, leaving Sora and Riku a little farther behind them. The brunet kept staring at the ground during the whole trip to his aunt's house, wondering what could possibly be done to stop these horrible events. There was no apparent injury, no blood was shed, but it was still unbearable. Even Sora, who had become a Healer just recently, could tell and feel it.

A tap on his shoulder made Sora look up and turn towards Riku, who was lowering his hand to shove it inside his coat's pocket.

"See you tomorrow," the Vampire told him before he parted with the small group, his steps quickening all of a sudden.

"_Why say this to me? It's not like I'm his friend or something,_" the brunet wondered, shrugging when he could not find any answer to his own question.

x-x-x

"I'm home," Riku said, closing the front door of his house.

He took off his shoes, put on a pair of slippers, and then walked towards the living room. He found his father sitting on the couch, looking as if he were thinking really hard. And that was just what he was doing.

"Take a seat, Riku," Sephiroth instructed, closing his eyes briefly. He opened them again when his son had sat.

"This is something serious, isn't it?" The younger asked, now slightly worried.

"Is it," the man confirmed, sighing. "It's about what your friend asked me the other day."

"So, you found something? This is good news! Maybe those strange things will stop soon, then."

"What do you mean? Did it happen again?" Sephiroth asked, his voice not betraying how nervous he was inside.

"Yeah. Some guy I don't know lost his ability too."

There was a long silence that followed Riku's statement.

"Then the situation is more serious than I thought," Sephiroth stated. "There is a high possibility that a Ghoul is somewhere in town."

"A Ghoul?" The teen repeated slowly, not having heard the word before.

"We have very few information on this Specie, mostly because we consider it a legend. There were mentions of Ghouls in the past, but nothing worth making it an official kind. However, the recent events occurring in your school coincide with those from decades ago," the man explained slowly, trying his best to make it simple to understand. "People lost their abilities all of a sudden, and couldn't explain clearly how it happened. Someone mentioned that a Ghoul could have been the cause, but we do not know who said it or why."

Riku frowned, looking at his feet. "This is seriously freaky," he muttered. "Maybe we should alert everyone."

"Don't," Sephiroth immediately advised. "We have no proof, and we don't want the supposed culprit to panic. Who knows what he could do in such a state of mind."

"Alright. I understand."

"I'd like to ask a few more questions to your friend, if it is possible. I think he was hiding something. It might only be a gut feeling, but…"

Riku nodded in agreement and promised to do his best.

x-x-x

"Care to tell me why I have to come again?" Sora asked slowly, visibly worried by the fact that Sephiroth wanted to see him.

"My father needs to ask you something. Don't worry, okay? He won't hurt you," Riku tried to reassure him. He remained silent when it was having the opposite effect.

Sora was brought to the same room he entered a few days ago, but this time, Riku didn't stay with him.

"Good afternoon, boy," Sephiroth greeted him politely, setting his pen down to focus on Sora alone.

"Good afternoon, sir," the brunet replied just as respectfully.

"Maybe Riku already told you about what I found?" When Sora nodded in agreement, he continued. "Alright. Now, I need solid proof, but I won't find any if you are not being sincere with me."

"I am sincere, sir," Sora replied almost immediately.

"I want you to tell me everything you know about the strange man you mentioned. What his name is, what he looks like, and so on."

Sora thought carefully before he gave his reply. "Well, he's one of our teachers. His name is Ansem Wise. Oh, and it's only Roxas and me who feel something is wrong with his aura."

"Roxas? Who is he to you?" Sephiroth asked, particularly interested about the information.

"My twin."

Sora got worried when his answer made Sephiroth frown deeply. The man seemed to be debating over something for a long while. He eventually heaved a sigh and closed his eyes.

"Your grandmother… She was killed by a Vampire, right?"

Sora's eyes widened at that. "How do you –"

"She had a daughter, Elena, who had kids. Twins, to be precise."

At that point, Sora's face had paled.

"The reason why I know all of this is because I knew your grandmother." Sephiroth stood up from his chair and began walking in circles in the room. "We used to be a couple, a long time ago, but as you can guess, your ancestors didn't like one of their family member dating a horrible monster. We broke up, and your grandmother then married another man, someone called Ansem."

"Wait, it's not-" Sora began, but the grown-up didn't listen to him and kept talking.

"They lived together for some time, until he suddenly disappeared after hurting her. Somehow, he knew she was a Vampire."

Sephiroth stopped talking then, and watched the teenager carefully. As expected, the poor brunet was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say, or what to think. He didn't even know if he could trust Sephiroth. The silver-haired man could just be lying to him, couldn't he?

"She was broken, mentally and physically. There was only one thing that she wanted : for me to take her life away and avenge her."

"Why kill her?!" Sora eventually exploded, not able to contain his bursting anger, for it had appeared way too fast. "You can't even begin to imagine how hard it was for all of us!"

"Do you think it was easy for me to grant her wish?" the Vampire spat bitterly. "Besides, she knew that if there was someone who could find Ansem, it was me. But to do that, I needed to live longer, and it was only be possible if I drank her blood. The only reason why I am still alive is so that I can avenge her."

Sora said nothing, and chose to glare at the floor. This could not be possible. Right, Sephiroth had no proof. There had to be a reason why he was lying and trying to convince Sora that he was his grandmother's murder, and also that she was a Vampire. If that part were true, his family would have known, but no one ever suggested there was a Vampire in their family.

Yes, it all had to be a lie.

"Maybe the Ansem you're talking about isn't the one I'm searching for, but I don't want to miss the chance to find him. For now, I suggest you and Roxas be careful around him. He might be back to hurt you."

"Why should I believe you?" The brunet asked slowly, almost tiredly. "Can you prove to me that what you're saying is the truth?"

Sephiroth only shook his head no. "I want you to believe me because you chose to, not because I forced you to."

Sora emitted a sound close to a growl before he shot to his feet and left the office swiftly. He ignored Riku's calls from the other side of the corridor as he hurried to the front door and left the silver-haired teen's house. Too much had happened too fast.

That was the thing he hated with Vampires. They could not be trusted. They tried to worm their way into your heart, and then stabbed you in the back when you least expected it. They were manipulative, cruel. Sora couldn't and would never like them. And Riku was no exception.

x-x-x

It was nice to not have school. Yeah, the week-end was definitely Roxas' favourite part of the week. He could be lazy all he wanted and not have some grumpy teacher bitching about how he was not going to graduate at this rate. Maybe he wasn't your straight A student, but he wasn't failing either.

The blond teen tried to stifle a yawn, but failed miserably, as he plopped down on the couch in the living room. Tifa was working, so the twins were alone for now. Well, Roxas was alone. Sora had yet to leave his bedroom, which was a bit strange since the brunet was usually up pretty early. It was nearing eleven, and they were supposed to prepare lunch together. Sora would be so, so disappointed that he wouldn't escape the task of cooking lunch. And Roxas would make fun of his twin.

That sounded like a good plan.

Roxas climbed up the stairs, stomping towards the brunet's bedroom.

"Sora! Wake up! Don't forget we're supposed to make lunch!" The Werewolf called, banging on the door to make sure his twin would wake up.

"I'm not hungry," was the quiet reply that came from the other side of the door.

Now, that wasn't like Sora at all, Roxas thought. The blond warned Sora before he entered inside his twin's bedroom. Sora was sitting on his bed, looking out the window absently.

"What's wrong, Sora? Sorry to say this, but you look awful," Roxas stated, sitting next to the brunet.

Sora sighed. "Nothing. I just didn't sleep that well," he lied easily. He figured telling the truth to Roxas would only make things more difficult, what with Riku being one of his friends. "I'm lucky it's Saturday, am I not?"

"And why did you not sleep well?" The Werewolf insisted.

This time, Sora muttered. "Nothing, don't worry about it. I was just thinking about our parents," he lied again. It seemed it was something he could do well.

"You do know you're a poor liar, right?"

Or not.

"Forget it. It'll be over soon, I promise," Sora told his twin with what he hoped was a genuine smile.

He turned to look at his African violet and brushed his fingers over the few flowers still left. Soon after, the brunet had to hold back a gasp as the plant began to fade. That was not supposed to happen.

"Something is seriously wrong with you," Roxas told his brother as he joined him and glanced at the now dead plant.

Sora spent his week-end trying to make his African violet better, but only did worse every time he touched it, until he gave up when it turned to dust.

"This is really depressing," Sora complained as he and Kairi walked to their next class, Zexion following close behind.

"Don't worry about it, Sora. It'll get better when you do," Kairi tried to reassure him, a warm smile on her face. "This kind of things happens a lot in the beginning. Once you master your ability, your state of mind won't affect your powers any more."

"How long will it take, then? I can't be of any help as I am right now," the Healer asked, frowning. He did feel a bit better than a few days prior, but he still couldn't heal a single thing. At least, he wasn't making things worse now.

"I'm not sure. It depends on you, really," the Mermaid offered timidly.

Sora opened his mouth to say something, but instead, his throat tightened and kept any word he was going to say there. The brunet didn't understand why at first, but he soon understood when he spotted Ansem. The teacher was walking in their direction, greeting a few students as he went. His eyes landed on the three friends, and he smiled even wider then.

"Good morning," he greeted as he passed them.

"Hello, sir," Kairi replied politely, smiling from ear to ear. Leave it to her to act like the perfect student she wasn't.

"You okay?" Zexion asked, looking from their teacher to Sora. "You look pale."

"You guys go ahead, okay? I'll be in the nurse's office. I won't be long," Sora told them.

He walked away, his eyes glued to the floor. His mouth felt dry, and he couldn't say anything else for now. He made it to the infirmary, and when he was inside, his body began to shake. Cloud rushed to his side and led him to the bed, asking questions Sora couldn't hear, for he was too preoccupied by what he had just discovered.

He had felt it. It was barely noticeable, but he still had felt it. Hayner's Aura was mixed with Ansem's, and that fact alone proved Sephiroth's theory to be true.

xx—xx—xx

A/N : Hey, everyone! I hope you've all been doing okay since last time. As predicted, this chapter took some time to be written. School and work literally eats all of my time. D= (and let's not forget the projects I now have to do) So, yeah, that's why it took me so long to post this. Sorry! Oh, and expect some major plot development in the next chapter! Now that Ansem's specie has been revealed, the fun can begin. XD Thanks a bunch to everyone who reviewed/added this story to their favourites and/or alerts. =) See you next time!


	7. An unexpected turn of events

Disclaimer : Kingdom Hearts and its characters do not belong to me.

xx—xx—xx

_Chapter 07 : An unexpected turn of events _

A Ghoul. Someone who can steal someone's ability. Somehow, it sounds really cool, but when you're faced with someone who has been victim of a Ghoul, it's down-right terrifying. Does it even really exist? Are there really no other way someone from a Specie can become a Human? I don't want to believe in what Sephiroth told me, but I might not have a choice, in the end.

Maybe I never had one.

x-x-x

"Sora, what's wrong with you? I can't help you if you don't tell me," Cloud asked for the fifth time since Sora had entered the infirmary.

"_I would have told you if I could! But you won't believe me,_" the brunet thought, frowning. There was no way Cloud would listen to him. He didn't even believe him about Ansem's aura. The only one who would trust him was none other than Sephiroth himself, but seeing the man again wasn't an idea that the brunet liked all that much.

"I just… Felt dizzy, that's all," Sora lied, shaking his head slowly. It was only half a lie, when he thought about it.

"Sora, your whole body was shaking. You were not just feeling dizzy," the nurse dead-panned, clearly not buying it.

The teen sighed softly, wondering why he had come here of all places. It must have been a reflex or something like that. Anyone would have done the same.

A thought struck Sora all of a sudden. If he had reacted this way, how would Roxas? His twin would be furious if he found out about Ansem. Hayner was one of his friends, the blond was bound to smack Ansem's face into a wall if he discovered the truth.

Sora ran out of the infirmary and tried to spot his twin. He was supposed to have Algebra. The brunet quickly found the classroom he was searching for, but once he was in front of its door, he didn't know what to do. Should he let Roxas see him and make him get out of the room? But how? The teacher would spot him.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in class right now?"

Sora froze as he heard the cool voice speak a few meters away from him. The brunet turned his head towards Ansem, who was standing to his right, his arms folded across his chest and waiting for an answer. The man had that sickening smile on his lips, and he was studying Sora very cautiously, as if trying to memorize him from head to toes – a thought that didn't help to make the teen feel at ease.

"I – I thought third period was here, but I was wrong. I'm going now," the brunet said quickly, so that he could be away from the teacher fast.

"Wait a minute."

And here went Sora's hopes. He turned around slowly to face Ansem again, and nearly jumped when he realized how close the man had gotten. He hadn't even made a single sound.

"I do have class with you during last period, correct?" The man asked coolly, his smile not faltering. Sora nodded timidly, not liking whatever that question actually meant in Ansem's mind. "Good. You can go now."

Sora didn't need to be told twice. He spun around and ran towards his classroom, not throwing a single glance over his shoulder.

Ansem stayed where he was and looked inside the classroom, his smile widening.

x-x-x

Lunch period was more than welcome when it eventually came. Sora walked eagerly towards the table his friends usually sat at, and only found Axel, Demyx and Riku there. The brunet frowned, wondering where all the others were.

"Where is everyone?" The brunet asked, taking a seat across from Demyx.

"Marluxia's eating with a chick to try and woo her. Everyone else should be here shortly," Axel replied, popping a chip in his mouth.

"Okay," the teen replied uneasily, setting his lunch bag on the table.

"Something's wrong," Riku said. It was not a question but a statement, like he was sure of it, and Sora was upset that the Vampire seemed to understand him more than he should.

"It's okay, no big deal," Sora replied, taking a bite from his sandwich.

Soon after, Roxas, Zexion and Naminé joined them and Sora's problem was quickly forgotten – much to the brunet's relief. It seemed that Roxas hadn't felt anything peculiar when he saw Ansem, and Sora wondered if his gift wasn't the reason why he actually felt Hayner's aura. As much as Sora hated to admit it, he knew only Sephiroth could give him the answers to his questions.

When the end of the day came, the brunet asked Riku if he could see his father once more, which the silver-haired boy didn't refuse, of course. They soon parted from Roxas and Axel and walked on their own. They could talk freely now.

"Found something?" Riku asked, watching the younger from the corner of his eye. He had noticed something was off with his brunet friend ever since he set foot inside the cafeteria at lunch.

"Yeah, and quite frankly, I don't like it at all," Sora confided, looking at the ground. "I didn't want to see your father, but I guess I have no other choice."

"He's kind of the scary guy, isn't he?" The Vampire joked, smirking. "But don't worry, you'll get used to it. Eventually."

"What's really bothering me is that he's a Vampire."

That made Riku a bit angry. "Why are you still clinging to that stupid idea of yours? Can't you see we're not as evil as you think we are? For instance, when have I ever hurt you?"

Sora thought for a moment. "Well, there were all those times you said mean things, and that time when you looked like you really wanted to eat me or something."

Riku blinked several times. "And I take it you never thought that you hating my guts for no apparent reason would make me say those mean things?" The Vampire asked, genuinely confused. "As for that other part, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. It was a tough week for me."

Sora said nothing and thought about it all. It was true that he never gave a chance to Riku. He had just disliked him as soon as he understood he was a Vampire, and never tried to know him better. Riku had never done anything to hurt him, except when Sora was being an ass. But even then, Riku wouldn't start the fights.

"Let's try this again, okay?" The Vampire offered, taking a few steps ahead so that he could stand in front of Sora. Riku then extended his hand towards the brunet.

The Healer watched it carefully for a short while, before he shook his head and grabbed Riku's hand and shook it.

"Sorry. It was stupid of me to act that way," Sora admitted, cautious not to meet the older boy's eyes.

"It's okay now," Riku told him with a sincere smile. "Alright, let's move it. If _you_ asked to see my dad, it must be something serious."

Sora chose not to say anything to that, and instead followed the taller teen to his house. This time, Sephiroth wasn't in his office, but instead lying on the couch, a bag of chips in his hands as he watched the television. Sora wasn't sure, but it looked like he was watching a show with a girl getting a new look with the help of professionals.

Was Riku's dad seriously watching this?

"I'm home, and I brought a friend with me," Riku told the man.

Sephiroth sat up, bag of chips still in hand. "I know, I heard you." He then turned his gaze towards Sora and smiled knowingly. "Made up your mind yet?"

The brunet frowned. Next to him, Riku looked from his father to his friend, wondering what they could be talking about. "Not yet. I just wanted to talk to you about Ansem."

"Sure. Go ahead," the grown-up instructed, popping a chip in his mouth. He offered some to the brunet, but he refused politely.

"There's a high chance that what you told me is true. Ansem might be a Ghoul," Sora stated. That made Sephiroth sit straighter and pay closer attention immediately. "I saw him today, and I felt Hayner's aura mixed with his. It was subtle, but still there."

"Has he used your friend's ability?" Sephiroth asked, frowning. That made the matter more serious now that there was evidence.

"Not yet. He's really creepy, and it's almost as if he knows that I know, and tries to intimidate me. But that might only be my imagination."

"Wait a minute. What are you two talking about?" Riku eventually intervened, not wanting to be the only one not knowing what was going on.

"One of your teachers is probably a dangerous man I've been searching for a long time. You should be careful around him. Riku, can you do me a favour and not let Ansem be alone with Sora? There is a high change that he's after him or his brother, or both."

"Alright," the young Vampire replied, still not sure he understood everything.

"Why would you do this? Is it really for my grand-mother?" Sora asked slowly, almost suspiciously.

Sephiroth chuckled. "Not only that. You remind me of her a lot, and it would pain me if something happened to you. She wouldn't forgive me either."

Sora lowered his gaze and stared at his feet. "I still don't get why you killed her."

The older Vampire heaved a long sigh. "She was going to die sooner or later. Vampires are not immortal beings after all. Besides, even if she still had many years before her, she wasn't going to live that long. She was so hurt, so tired that she was letting herself die. I knew what she was going to ask me the second I stepped inside her room. We both knew it and accepted it."

"Dad…" Riku whispered, his face a mix a hurt and understanding.

"That doesn't mean I don't love your mother and you, Riku. Stop being such a baby," Sephiroth told his son, eating a few chips soon after.

"I'm not!" Riku protested.

"So, what do we do now?" Sora asked slowly.

"For now, we do nothing. I can't do anything as long as we don't know for sure that Ansem's a Ghoul," Sephiroth began. He quickly continued to talk when Sora opened his mouth. "Sure, you know he's the one who stole that boy's power, but no one else can confirm that information."

"It's really annoying," the Healer sighed, lifting a hand to scratch the back of his head. "Well, I think I'll just go home. I've said everything I had to say."

"Alright, be careful," Sephiroth advised.

Sora nodded in agreement and left the Vampires' house.

x-x-x

If anyone asked him, he'd say it was the weirdest thing he had ever seen. Sure, you could see it quite often, but it was always fake, unlike this one.

"Sora, would you please stop pulling at it?"

"But it's so strange. I can't help it."

"Well, I won't help it either if I hit you in, like, a few seconds."

"Roxas, don't threaten your brother. Sora, stop pulling at Roxas' tail," Tifa stated from the other side of the table.

They were all eating breakfast, but the task was kind of tricky, what with Sora constantly eyeing Roxas like he had grown another head. It was just a tail.

"How come I haven't seen it before?" Sora wondered out loud, his eyes staring curiously at his brother's lower back.

"Because it's the first full moon since you've come here, and now I wish I told you so that you would stop being such a prick about it," Roxas muttered darkly, stabbing his pancake viciously.

Sora frowned at the tone his twin used to talk to him. What was it with people and their strange mood swings? He'd always thought only girls had them, but his twin and Riku had proven his theory to be wrong.

"It's only for a few days, so it won't bug you for too long," Tifa stated as she stood up, and gathered their empty plates. She then put then in the sink to wash them.

The twins got up, picked up their stuff for school and exited the house.

"Hey, Roxas," Sora said while they were walking to school.

The blond shoved his hands inside the pockets of his coat. "Yeah?"

"Does it… hurt?"

The blond twin's eyes widened considerably, and he inhaled too quickly. He choked on his spit for a moment.

"What the heck are you talking about?!" Roxas exclaimed when his coughing subsided. He was red in the face, and at first, Sora thought it was only because of the boy's coughs.

"Is it so wrong that I ask about your tail?" The brunet asked, confused. To the brunet's utter confusion, his question seemed to only embarrass his twin more.

"How about we just forget about this?" The blond muttered.

Looking up, Roxas realized they were approaching their high school really fast, and he was more than glad when he spotted Hayner a few feet away from them.

"I'll go meet Hayner. Don't wait for me to go to class," the blond twin stated as he left his brother alone in front of the school gates.

Sora pouted. "Right, don't bother about me. I'll be fine by myself."

"Complaining so early in the morning?"

Sora turned around to meet the one who had just spoken, who end up being none other than Axel. Demyx and Marluxia were with him, and waved quickly as a greeting. Sora did the same.

"Roxas is being mean. And speaking about him – "

Sora didn't finish what he was saying, and turned around the Chocobos curiously.

"Err, what are you doing?" Demyx asked slowly, as if he were afraid that the brunet had suddenly gone mad.

"You guys are just like usual. Are Werewolves the only ones who have – " The teen began, stopping when Squall passed by them, his tail swinging from right to left as he walked. Sora could do nothing but stare at it. " –tails today?" The brunet eventually finished. Somehow, Squall was more entrancing than usual.

Alright, Sora thought, maybe a cold shower would do him good. And what was he thinking he was doing, staring like that? And at Squall of all people. Cloud would murder him if he ever knew. Or maybe just break something. Like his neck.

"Yup, 'cause they're the only ones who are physically influenced by the phases of the moon. I think they are the only ones changing. Oh, but don't worry. They'll be back to normal really soon," Demyx explained.

"They have one hell of a sex drive during full moons too," Axel added, a wicked smile plastered on his face.

Sora rose a curious eyebrow. "How would you know that?"

At that, Demyx and Marluxia exchanged confused looks, then thought it better to leave the two. The brunet didn't miss that, and he wasn't sure he liked their reaction.

"He didn't tell you yet?" Axel asked sheepishly, clearly uneasy.

"Who didn't tell me what?" The brunet asked, slowly growing impatient. For some reason, he knew he wouldn't like what he was about to hear.

At that point, Axel wanted to just run away and avoid the brunet for the rest of his life. Why did he have to say everything to Sora? And him alone at that. That was so unfair.

Sora began to tap the ground with his foot then, indicating that maybe the redhead should begin to talk.

"I… I mean we – No, let me correct that –" Axel stuttered. He winced, not liking how his voice sounded. It was not cool at all. The Chocobo breathed slowly, and took the plunge. "Roxas and I are dating."

To Axel's utter surprise, Sora didn't look upset or mad. He even looked quite calm. What bugged the taller boy, though, was the disappointment that Sora's eyes couldn't hide.

"Why didn't you guys tell me sooner? So, every time you told me you were just joking were all lies?" The Healer asked.

"We didn't know how you'd react to the news, so we thought it better to hide our relationship from you."

"I wouldn't have said a thing! C'mon, give me some credit."

"You weren't exactly that much of a nice guy when you arrived here. You were calling us Species monsters and all," Axel stated a bit too firmly. He realized it when Sora's expression went from disappointed to ashamed. "Look, we didn't mean to hurt you or anything. We were just afraid, ok? Well, Roxas was. He's taking that twin thing very seriously, you know."

"He is?" Sora asked, genuinely surprised.

Axel nodded in agreement. "He's heard a bit from you, but couldn't meet you until that day Tifa took you in. He was happy, but worried at the same time. He didn't know if you two would get along, if you would get along with his friends."

And when he met Roxas' friends for the first time, Sora didn't think twice before deciding Riku would be his enemy. That one was definitely one of his biggest, stupidest mistakes. Roxas must have felt so sad because of it, maybe upset at his twin even.

"I'm sorry," Sora whispered. "I'm always acting like I'm the only one having problems. I promise it'll stop."

"Err, I wasn't saying –" Axel began.

"Let's go to class. We shouldn't be late, right?" Sora cut him off, smiling brightly at the redhead. The latter returned the smile with less enthusiasm, but returned it nonetheless.

The first periods weren't exactly what they'd call exciting, but they still helped making the morning less long. Soon, everyone was exiting classes to go eat lunch. Sora found Riku walking out of a classroom a few doors away from his, and the brunet waved at his new friend.

"You hungry?" Riku asked when he joined Sora. "I could eat tons of food and not have enough of it today. I wonder what's wrong…"

"Maybe you didn't eat enough this morning," Sora offered, shrugging.

"Let's not think about it, and just go grab something before I-" Riku began, only to stop. He would have said "before I just eat whatever is the closest", but the closest to him being Sora, Riku wasn't sure the brunet would have appreciated the joke. "-before I faint," he eventually finished.

"Are you sure you're fine?" Sora insisted, even lifting a hand up to feel Riku's forehead. "You don't seem feverish to me."

The Vampire lifted a single eyebrow, and watched Sora as if he were the strangest thing on Earth.

"Are you feeling sick, kid?" Someone asked behind them.

Sora felt the small hair at the base of his neck stand up. Why, oh why was he always at the same place as _him_? Turning around, the teens faced Ansem, who was looking at them with a blank expression.

"Just hungry," Riku replied with a shrug. He was acting so casually Sora wondered if the Vampire had already forgotten about what his father had told them the day before.

"You don't have to act like a strong boy in front of me," Ansem insisted. Sora saw the man's right hand twitch lightly. "Maybe you should go see nurse Strife?"

"I really am fine, sir," Riku replied, frowning a little. He was getting annoyed by that man really fast.

"You might think you are now, but maybe in a few minutes, you won't feel so good," the teacher said, raising his right hand.

Sora followed the movement with his eyes, and they widened when he felt something was wrong. Energy was coursing through Ansem's hand, and said hand was about to land on Riku's shoulder. That couldn't happen. Sora did the first thing that came to is mind to stop the motion : he lifted his right arm to block Ansem. The teacher's hand wrapped around a small wrist instead of a firm shoulder, and the change displeased Ansem greatly. He wasn't showing it clearly, but that spark in his eyes was enough. As for Riku, he looked from Sora to their teacher with a confused expression.

"_Looks like he didn't feel it,_" Sora thought.

"Alright, if you are so sure everything's okay. But don't complain if something happens later," Ansem told them, his neutral expression turning mischievous when his eyes met the brunet's. The man then turned around and left.

"What a creep," Riku spat, not hiding his dislike for the man. "Come on, let's go to the cafeteria before they think you lost your way or something."

"Why only me?" Sora protested.

"Because I'm too cool to get lost," Riku stated, pushing his hair above his right shoulder with a smug expression on his face.

x-x-x

Sora had forgotten he had to spend the entire afternoon with Cloud to assist him, and when the brunet entered a few minutes after his shift started, the man was pissed off. The blond complained for a while about immature teens who couldn't be on time for once, and how he was just mad at everything.

"What's wrong?" Sora eventually asked after a moment. It wasn't like Cloud to be so angry, so the brunet figured something had happened.

"Sorry, I'm taking it out on you," the blond apologized, sitting down at his desk. He massaged his temples, his eyes closed.

"I wasn't asking for apologies," Sora made known, sitting in front of the nurse. "Tell me what's going on that upsets you so much."

"A lot, actually," the nurse eventually admitted.

"Is it Squall again?" Sora tried.

"No, things are just perfect with him," the blond said, a small smile on his lips. It didn't stay long, though. "But his ex is giving us a hard time. I can't really blame her, though. And there's also that thing about the students at school. They're all so scared about what happened to Hayner. They all think it's going to happen to someone else, since there's also that kid who lost his powers. Things are crazy."

"I bet they are," the brunet agreed, understanding the nurse's problem all too well.

"Thankfully, Squall is here with me. I just wish he were less enthusiastic when we're alone," the nurse complained again, frowning. "I won't keep up with him for too long. I'm so tired, Sora."

The teen made a face. "Please, I do not wish to talk about your sex life. It's just…weird. And disgusting."

That made Cloud laugh. "You're such a prude. It's a wonder how you're still a virgin when everyone in this school has already had sex at least once."

"Well, sorry I'm not a whore," Sora spat, clearly angry at what Cloud had said. "There are some people with morals, in case you didn't know."

"Come on, don't take it like that. I was just teasing you," the blond man told the younger. "In fact, I don't know that many kids that are as corrupted as I am." Cloud added a smirk, just for good measure.

"I'm not sure it's a good thing for them," Sora said, raising an eyebrow.

"You bet," Cloud replied, not even commenting the not-so-hidden comment Sora had made about him. "While we're talking about lovers and all that jazz, how about you?"

"What about me?" Sora repeated, tilting his head to the side.

"Well, do you have a significant other?"

The brunet just blinked at the blond.

"I'll take it as a "no". So, is there anyone you're interested in, then?"

"What's with those questions? Is there something you're not telling me?" Sora asked defensively. What was it with Cloud asking him about his private life, all of a sudden?

"Not really. I was just curious," the nurse replied, shrugging his shoulders. He lifted his eyes up to look at the small clock on his desk. "Would you look at that. It's almost time for you to go home."

Sora didn't wait another second. He packed his stuff, and left the nurse office. That conversation had been really awkward. Sora had never thought about other people as potential lovers, nor was he even thinking about having a girlfriend. He was fine by himself. For now, at least.

Sora tensed up when he saw the Pack walk in his direction, but he heaved a sigh of relief when the Werewolves passed without looking at him, but the brunet did feel someone grabbing his ass. He spun around, red in the face, and ready to yell at the culprit, but he found himself looking from one back to the other without knowing who had done it. Growling in frustration, the brunet stomped towards his locker and opened it with more force than necessary.

"Had a bad day?" Riku asked as he joined him, leaning on the locker next to his friend's.

"A jerk touched my butt, and I don't even know who did it," Sora complained, throwing his books inside the metal box. "I feel so violated."

"Violated? God, Sora, you're lucky you're not in my place. I think someone tried to grab my crotch right after lunch. I kind of avoided it, though."

"Werewolves in heat are so infuriating. I hope it'll be over soon."

"So do I," the Vampire replied, eying his friend from head to toes. "You look tired."

"What?" Sora asked, blinking a few times. "I'm not."

Riku kept talking, but the brunet didn't even hear the silver-haired teen. There was a loud buzz in his ears, and his surroundings were darkening until all Sora could see was darkness. He tried to look down at his raised hand, but he couldn't even see it. He raised his hand higher, until it touched his face. And he still couldn't see it.

"Sora, you okay?" The brunet heard Riku ask him. The Vampire was a bit worried.

"I can't see," Sora started lowly, a wave of panic slowly rising inside him. "I can't see!" He shouted this time. "What happened to me? I'm blind now!"

"Sora, calm down!" Riku told the brunet, grabbing him by the shoulders. Sora started violently at the touch and tried to look at Riku, but ended up looking above the other's shoulder. The Vampire looked behind him but saw no one. "Alright, we'll go see nurse Strife, okay? He should know what to do."

"But we left the infirmary at the same time. He's already gone from school. Oh my God, what will I do? I don't want to stay like this!" Sora exclaimed, frightened.

Riku was also beginning to panic at that point. He didn't know what to do, and Sora wasn't calming down one bit. The last thing they both needed was Sora having a panic attack and collapsing right there. It looked like they were both in luck, though. Riku saw Olette walking towards them, a frown on her face.

"What's going on? I heard cries," the kind girl asked them.

"Olette? Is that you?" Sora asked, turning around and almost facing the brunette. "Please, I need your help," he added, taking a step forward, only to have Riku tugging him back to prevent him from hitting the lockers.

"Sora, that's some strong spell that was cast on you," Olette made known, frowning. "Who did it?"

The boys had an idea about who could have cast the spell, but they couldn't say it. Olette would never believe them, any way.

"I don't know," Sora lied easily.

The brunette wasn't convinced, but she didn't ask any more questions. Olette took Sora's hand in hers, and closed her eyes. Riku stood next to them, and waited patiently, watching Sora shift his weight from one foot to the other every so often, and Olette concentrate on using her powers. Time seemed to stretch while she did her best. After what felt like hours – that were just minutes – the teenage girl let go of Sora and took a step back.

"I'm sorry, I can't help you. That spell is too strong for me," she apologized, clearly sorry.

"Do you think it'll last long?" Riku asked timidly, voicing the question Sora was silently asking himself.

"I'm not sure. Curses usually last for a few hours at most, but some of them can take days to wear off. I haven't heard of curses lasting for longer than that," Olette explained.

"_Asking dad would be better,_" Riku thought.

"Thank you for your help, Olette," the silver-haired teen said politely, giving the girl a small smile.

He led Sora outside the school building, and held onto him firmly when they had to walk down the front steps. The brunet didn't complain, and even took hold of his friend's arm.

"Now, we know one thing," Sora began, his eyes looking straight in front of him but seeing nothing. It was hard for Riku to look at him with the blank look Sora had. It was almost as if he wasn't feeling anything any more; but Riku knew it wasn't the case. Only his friend's sightless eyes gave that impression.

"And that's?" The Vampire asked, heaving a silent breath of relief when they made it to the last step without falling.

"Ansem's not after me," the brunet said.

Riku raised an eyebrow, confused. "Hello? He probably cast that spell on you."

"No, he wasn't targeting me. He tried to touch you, remember?"

"You mean that's when he..?"

Sora frowned. "I had a bad feeling then, that's why I stood before you, so that he couldn't touch you. That spell was meant for you."

The Vampire's eyes widened considerably. That explained why Sora thought Ansem was after him, but not the man's intentions. Or motives. Why would Ansem target Riku? Wasn't he supposed to be after Sora?

"Supposed" was the key word. They had no proof that it was true. They didn't even know why the Ghoul would want to hurt Sora. Sure, the man was probably related to the brunet's grandmother, but why would he want to hurt her grand-child?

"You know, Riku," Sora began slowly, letting his friend take his arm to lead him in the busy streets. "Right now, I feel like I could fall off a cliff, and think it's alright."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Feeling suicidal, now? Come on, you'll see again soon, I promise."

"No, that's not what I meant," the brunet replied, shaking his head quickly. "I mean that it's a hard blow, but I still think I can make it. Maybe… Maybe I'm stronger now. You know, when you fall, all you can do is stand up again, right?"

"But you'd die if you fell off a cliff."

Sora smacked Riku's arm. "Don't be such a jerk! I'm trying to cheer myself up here!"

The Vampire was about to laugh, but the happy feeling died down when he noticed how down Sora seemed to be. Riku figured he was still in shock after what had happened to him.

"I'll really see again, right?" The brunet asked, his voice trembling slightly.

Riku sighed softly, and let go of the other teen's arm. Sora panicked for a second, only to freeze when he felt strong arms wrapping around his shoulders.

"Of course. We'll find something," Riku whispered, leaning his chin on the top of the younger's head. "Don't be scared, okay? You're not alone here. You have friends."

Friends… That sounded so nice. In Twilight Town, Sora had a small family, and a circle of friends who cared about him. Even Riku, who he used to hate, had managed to befriend him. He was even hugging him right now.

Sora blushed profusely as realization hit him, stepping back to free himself from the embrace.

"Err, we should go, right? Our families will be worried if we get home late," Sora said quickly, fumbling with the straps of his backpack.

Riku could only smile at the cute display, and nodded in agreement, voicing it when he remembered Sora couldn't see him. The silver-haired teen walked the younger home, going as far as to open the door for him – but only after Sora told him he didn't have to knock. Roxas was the first to see them and realize something was wrong with his twin. Sora then understood he couldn't keep the truth from his brother for much longer. Roxas would eventually learn everything anyway.

Sora asked the two others to go in the living room so they could have some privacy – Tifa was in her bedroom – and talk more freely.

"Sora, you're walking really funny, you know," the brunet heard Axel say, jumping from surprise. "Whoa, easy here. It's only me."

"Sorry, I didn't hear you before," Sora apologized, sitting on the sofa with the help of Riku.

"Who did that to you?" Roxas asked, quickly understanding what had happened to his brother. He guessed the brunet couldn't see, and that only a spell could have caused it since Sora didn't have any visible injuries.

"Ansem," Sora replied, not beating around the bush. "You know, that new professor."

"Him? Come on, Sora, he's a Cursed. He can't possibly-"

"He is not a Cursed. Right, Roxas?" Sora cut the Chocobo off. The blond nodded in agreement. "Only Roxas and I can feel it, but his aura isn't one we know of. Riku's dad thinks Ansem's a Ghoul."

"A Ghoul?" The Werewolf repeated slowly.

"Someone who can steal others' powers. Their existence was considered to be nothing but a legend until Ansem showed up," Riku explained instead of Sora.

"Are you sure of this?" Axel asked, frowning.

"Yes. I can feel Hayner's aura mixed with his. That is how I understood how he could have lost his ability so suddenly," Sora said slowly, wary of his twin's reaction.

Roxas' eyes widened, and he clenched his fists to the point his knuckles turned white.

"Sora didn't want to tell you because he was afraid you might do something stupid," Riku said before the blond teen could ask any questions. "Please, do not be angry with him. Or at least, not just him. I knew but didn't tell you either."

No one talked for a long while, everyone waiting for the others' reactions. When it was painfully obvious no one wanted to talk, Roxas heaved a long sigh, and decided he couldn't bear the heavy atmosphere any longer.

"So, that guy's targeting you, and made you go blind, right?" The blond asked slowly.

"Actually, I believe he's after Riku," Sora replied. "Ansem tried something funny, but I kind of stood between them, and his spell was cast on me instead."

"No way," Axel whispered, raising his eyebrows. "You tried to protect a Vampire?"

"Cut it out," Riku intervened, surprising everyone in the room. "We'd better think of a way to get rid of the bastard, or he might keep stealing everyone's abilities."

"Especially yours it seems," Sora said. "But what powers do Vampires have that could interest him?"

"None, and that is what is really fishy," the silver-haired boy answered, thinking. "Being a Vampire is nothing but trouble, if you ask me."

It was true. Who would want to almost go insane at the sight of a neck during those weeks Vampires couldn't resist their instincts? And if it wasn't that, it was being bored during those long nights with no open stores, or nothing to watch on TV. It was no wonder Riku got such good grades at school. He was so bored he studied. How sad was that? And Ansem wanted to be a Vampire?

What a joke.

"I say we forget about that for now. We'll continue this talk when everyone has calmed down," Axel stated. "Sora looks like a good night's sleep would do him good."

"You bet," the brunet replied, scratching the back of his head as if he were ashamed to admit he was tired. Being so scared had drained him of all of his energy, and he was feeling it now. Part of Sora's shame also came from letting Riku down for now, but he didn't realize it.

"Alright. I'll be heading home, then. See you guys tomorrow," the Vampire said, turning around and walking towards the front door.

"Yeah. Be careful," Roxas told him, watching his friend leave with a confident expression on his face.

The blond heaved a long sigh. Things had taken such a wrong turn. How could something so crazy be happening so close to him? It just wasn't possible.

Little did he know things would get worse very quickly…

xx—xx—xx

_Argh, writing this was so difficult! D: I'm still not satisfied with this chapter, but if I wait__ until I am, it might take months before you read it. Sorry if you thought it sucked. =x (and for the long wait) Err, well, that's it. I've got nothing to say this time…^__^; _


	8. A Vampire's power

Disclaimer : Kingdom Hearts and its characters do not belong to me.

xx—xx—xx

I think I am lucky. Yep, really lucky. Being a Healer had seemed like a curse at first but now, I feel like I was gifted with the most precious power. People count on me and I help them whenever I can. It feels good to finally be useful. No more looking down on me, no more feeling like a useless piece of crap.

I am a Healer that will save thousands of lives in the near future, though I do not expect it yet.

_Chapter 8 : A Vampire's power_

Roxas went to school alone the next morning. He had expected his friends to be surprised to not see his twin, so he was prepared for the interrogation that was thrown his way as soon as he had stepped on school grounds. He had slowly explained to everyone that Sora could not come due to a cold he had caught the day before. Only a few of his friends knew what it actually meant.

"He's still blind, then?" Riku asked when Roxas and he were alone in the school's corridors.

"No, he's not," the blond twin replied with a quick shake of his head. "He really is sick, but I think that's because he was worried."

"I see," the Vampire whispered, looking down at his feet. "Maybe I should pay him a visit, then? It's partly my fault he's sick now."

"You don't have to bother with that," Roxas told him. "Besides, he's not home right now. Aunt Tifa had to go to work, but she didn't want to leave him alone at home. I'm not sure about where he is, though."

"Oh, alright," the silver-haired boy muttered, disappointed.

"By the way, don't be surprised if one of us follows you around. We decided it would be better to not leave you alone since… Well, you know," Roxas said, watching around them to make sure no one was spying them. "We wouldn't want you to see Ansem when you're by yourself."

"The same goes to you," Riku made known. "Him apparently being after me doesn't mean he won't do anything to you or your brother."

"Maybe, but since I'm almost always with Axel, if that bastard tries anything funny, he'll get his neck snapped in two before he lifts a finger."

Riku laughed at that, easily picturing Axel losing it if Ansem tried to touch his lover.

x-x-x

"Abnormal status removal."

Sephiroth had been watching him closely before he said those three words Sora didn't even understand. The poor brunet had been dropped at the Vampire's house early in the morning before Tifa drove to work. It seemed that the two adults knew each other, but since Roxas and Riku were close friends, Sora thought he should have figured that.

"Excuse me?" Sora asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I meant that you removed the curse by yourself. It's still here, but it's not as strong as it must have been yesterday. You can break spells too it seems," Sephiroth explained, sitting on the edge of the bed Sora was lying on.

The brunet was embarrassed to be invading Riku's bedroom and he would have rather slept on the couch, but no one let him; not Sephiroth, and certainly not Edea.

"I guess that's why you're sick today. Your body must have been tired after it cancelled the curse."

Sora only nodded, not feeling strong enough to do anything else. He wasn't sick often, so whenever he caught a cold, he caught it good. He spent the whole day sleeping, only waking up whenever Edea came to check up on him. It felt nice when the woman put her hand on his forehead. It was soothing and he felt like he would get up soon and be fine again. It was so strange. He wasn't used to people looking after him like that. Back when we was still with his parents, when he caught a cold, all he could hear was how he was going to get everyone sick and he should take care of himself. Here, in Riku's house, it wasn't like that at all, and the brunet was sure Tifa would have acted the same way had she been able to look after him.

The next time the brunet woke up, it wasn't Edea who entered but Riku himself. The teenager had been surprised at first but soon, his expression softened, and he smiled at his friend.

"Hey," the silver-haired boy greeted him. "Is my bed comfortable enough?"

"I'm sorry," Sora apologized, looking down at the warm, deep blue comforter above the sheets.

"Don't be. I was just teasing you," the Vampire replied, sitting next to Sora. The older extended his hand, giving his friend a small plant. "I heard you usually give something to sick people when you visit them, but I didn't know what to get you. I figured you'd prefer a plant rather than flowers. I'm lucky you're here. I went to your aunt's house but it looks like she's still at work."

Sora's eyes stared at the small pant in Riku's hand, and they shone with something the older boy didn't recognize.

"It's an African violet," the Healer whispered as he took the plant from Riku's hand very slowly, as if it would break if he wasn't careful enough.

The Vampire saw the plant's flowers bloom as soon as Sora had a hold of it, new buds even forming here and there. It looked much more beautiful than it was when he bought it at the flower shop.

"You really got an incredible gift," Riku told his friend, smiling in a fond fashion that had Sora blushing slightly. "I wish I could do that."

"D-Do what?" Sora squeaked, embarrassed.

"It'll sound sappy, but I think it'd be nice if I could make flowers bloom like you do." Riku grimaced. "That didn't sound sappy. It was down right disturbing."

Sora laughed softly, silently agreeing. He gave the African violet one last look before he placed it on the night stand.

"I'm glad you're not blind any more. I think I wouldn't have forgiven myself if you never saw again. Yeah, I'm really glad," the Vampire confined, suddenly very shy.

"Don't worry about that. I chose to stop Ansem. You didn't force me to do anything," Sora said quite firmly, as if daring the Vampire to say otherwise. "How was school? Did you see him?"

"Not at all, but it might have been because we weren't in the same part of the building. And I'm glad." There was a moment of silence before Riku continued. "Did you tell my dad?"

Sora shook his head no. "Not my place to say."

The Vampire nodded to himself, understanding. Right, it would be Riku who would let Sephiroth know Ansem was after him, not someone else. But could he really say it? It was a bit embarrassing, in a way, especially since Sora had been hurt to protect him. He felt so weak.

A knock on the door caught both boys' attention and they turned their gaze in the direction the noise had come from.

"Riku, honey, could you help me bring your plates up here? Or maybe Sora can come downstairs to eat with us?" Edea asked, leaning against the door frame slightly.

"I think I'll be okay," the brunet replied, already pushing the blankets to the side so that he could get up without risking getting his feet caught in them.

The Healer got to his feet, wobbled for a second, and then began the great task of walking down the stairs. Riku helped him of course, not wanting his friend to get downstairs too quickly. Sora felt the silver-haired teen wrap an arm around the small of his back to have a good grip on him in case something went wrong – at least, that was what the brunet thought. He missed the light shade of pink on Riku's cheeks.

Diner went by way too fast to the boys' liking, and soon, Tifa came to pick Sora up.

"Hey," Riku called, catching Sora by the wrist before he could get too far from him. "Take care of yourself," he added, quickly leaving a kiss on the back of the Healer's hand.

"Alright?" Sora mumbled. He could feel his face heating up, and he was sure it was bright red.

Riku winked at him and then went inside his house, leaving the brunet alone to get to his aunt's car.

"I totally saw that," she teased as soon as the passenger door was slammed shut.

"You saw nothing," Sora stated, looking out the window.

"But I believe I did; and that was so adorable," Tifa insisted, driving them back to her house. "Maybe you should-"

"Please, I don't want to talk about this," the brunet cut her off, pouting at the passenger door's window. Riku could have been just teasing him for all he knew. But what if he wasn't? Did it even mean anything? No, the brunet decided. This was nothing to worry about, to think about; he could forget it like all of the jokes his friends told him everyday. With that in mind, he nodded to himself and waited patiently until they got home.

x-x-x

The next day at school was interesting, to say the least. Sora's small circle of friends knew about the current situation, and they had all been really worried about him. It appeared that from now on, Riku would be the one his friends were going to follow absolutely everywhere, and Sora found himself a bit disappointed at this. It would be weird to be left alone from time to time. But when Roxas, Axel, Demyx or Maluxia – whenever he wasn't busy with Larxene, the girl he had apparently managed to hook up with – were with Riku, Zexion would stay with Sora if no one else was keeping him company. Kairi would generally join them and talk about the latest gossip in school, and even though neither of the boys cared, they were glad she was there to fill what would have been an awkward silence had there been just the two of them.

"By the way, there's this guy I like a lot-" The Mermaid was saying, searching said guy with her eyes as she chatted away, completely fine with the mute teenagers by her side.

Sora exchanged a look with Zexion, and the small smirk on the Human's lips was enough to make him chuckle as silently as he could.

"What?" Kairi asked defensively, thinking they were making fun of her.

"Nothing, Kairi. It's just really nice to have you around," Sora said to appease her.

"I must admit I don't know what you guys would be doing without me. I mean, you never talk."

"It's kinda hard to do so when you keep monopolizing the conversation," Zexion stated, shrugging his shoulders.

The look on Kairi's face then was priceless.

Morning flew by, and Sora realized how skipping only a day was enough to bury him under tons of homework. What the heck were the teachers thinking, giving them so much work to do? By the time lunch period ended, Sora flopped down on a chair in the nurse's office, ignoring the strange looks Cloud and Squall shot his way.

"You alright?" The Chocobo asked tentatively, standing from his chair and leaving Squall's side to stand by Sora's.

"Just a bit tired. I've only missed yesterday's classes and it's like I've been gone for a whole month."

Cloud laughed a little at that. "You bet. Luckily, there won't be that many people this afternoon, so you can do your homework."

Sora nodded and took his stuff out of his backpack to work. Squall watched him carefully, not saying a word until Cloud sat again.

"I heard you were blind all of a sudden. How come?" The werewolf asked with his cool voice.

The Healer looked up at him, blinking a few times. How was it that he knew about that? He didn't remember telling anyone, apart from his friends.

"I heard kids talking about it," Squall added when he noticed the teen's confused look.

"Oh, well, yeah. It was just a spell; but I'm fine now."

"Who did this?" Cloud then asked, frowning.

"I can't remember. It was just some kid I met," the brunet lied easily. He lifted his head up, though, when he heard the distinct sound of a fist slamming down on the desk. Sora wasn't surprised to see that it was Squall's.

"Don't lie to us," the scarred man stated not so kindly. "We're not fools. Such a spell isn't something anyone can cast. It must have been quite powerful if it lasted more than a few seconds. There's no way any of the brats in the school could have done it."

"What Squall is saying is: you can tell us who did this to you?" Cloud said, giving his boyfriend a mild glare. "It'll stay between us if you don't want this to spread."

Sora wanted to laugh. "Why should I? You won't take me seriously."

"Try us," Squall insisted, folding his arms across his chest. He wasn't going to let the subject go alright.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you," Sora complied, sighing. He checked the room with quick glances to make sure it was only the three of them. "Professor Wise did it."

The adults' eyes widened, and they looked at each other for a while, not saying anything. Clearly, they didn't believe him.

"Just think about it for a second," Sora insisted. "When did all of those strange things start to happen? When did Hayner and other kids start to lose their powers?"

"It might just be a coincidence," Cloud said, not wanting to admit that Sora had a point so easily.

"Well I know it's not. That guy just touched me for a second and I turned blind. I knew he was strange the moment I saw him for the first time. Do you remember what I told you about his aura? Well, Hayner's mixed with his, and so must be those of the other victims," the teen explained quickly when he saw the nurse try to interrupt him.

"Can you prove it?" Squall asked coolly, closing his eyes. "Saying this is nice, but it's just a crazy story if you can't even prove it's true."

"How can I? Apart from Roxas, I'm the only one who can feel this."

There was silence for a long while inside the infirmary.

"Alright, we'll just pretend you're right and keep an eye on him then; see if strange things tend to happen when he's around."

Cloud barely had enough time to finish his sentence before the door to his office was opened abruptly. There stood Demyx, his face pale and lips parted as if he was about to say something. But he didn't speak. Sora was the first one to understand what was going on, and he shot to his feet to join his friend.

"Oh God, Demyx, not you too," Sora whimpered painfully when he felt nothing coming from the former Chocobo.

"It's high time we do something to put an end to this," Cloud stated quite firmly as he led Demyx inside.

"But what can we do? We just can't confront him for no reason," Sora said, helping Cloud.

Squall was the one to reply. "Then we'll have to wait until he makes his next move. Hopefully, we'll catch him red-handed."

x-x-x

Doing so wasn't particularly easy, though. Firstly, none other than Demyx seemed to suffer from a sudden loss of their powers from that day on. Secondly, Ansem did nothing that could call unwanted attention. All in all, the man was acting like nothing wrong was happening around him, and it did nothing to appease Sora's anger. Ansem knew it and he wasted no occasion to let the brunet know.

A few weeks flew by with nothing strange happening, but that didn't make the tension inside the school less tense. Students were watching their backs and their fear was slowly turning into paranoia. Cloud wasn't counting how many kids went to his office each day any more. There were too many of them; and he realised with horror that the teachers were starting to act the same. It came to the point that the closing of the school was discussed among the teachers, but the headmaster wouldn't hear a single word.

Classes continued but no one was paying attention. It seemed that Ansem was the only one without a care in the world, and while it must have been suspicious, people were too worried to notice.

That didn't include a small circle of close friends.

"The bastard must be happy with the mess he's made," Riku muttered, walking towards his next class. "It feels like people are ready to jump at one another's throats should they give funny looks."

"I don't understand why principal Shinra didn't accept to close the school. I heard there was a sophomore that was beaten up because he glared at someone. Things are starting to get out of hand," Axel agreed, watching carefully as he walked the silver-haired teen to his classroom.

"Sora told me about the poor guy. He spent about an hour healing his injuries. He said it didn't look good at all."

"I bet it didn't," the redhead replied. "By the way, you guys seem awfully close now. Is there something you forgot to tell me?" A smirk quickly followed the question.

"What is there to say? We're just good friends now," Riku told him a little too quickly.

"Yeah, right. Roxas and I are good friends too."

"Come on, it's not like that between us and you know it," the Vampire insisted. When he got no reply, he simply heaved an exasperated sigh. "How's Demyx?"

The question calmed Axel down immediately. "Quite frankly, he's not doing so well. Zexion's keeping close to him so he's not as depressed as we thought he would be. Funny when you know it's thanks to such a boring guy."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Sometimes, I wish I were deaf so I wouldn't hear your stupid comments."

They walked in silence, passing by not so many people in the corridors. The school was getting emptier and emptier with each passing day. The kids were beginning to fear for their safety after all of the crazy events, from people losing their abilities to victims getting beaten up for absurd reasons. That didn't mean they could let their guard down, though. Only the weaker had left.

Thinking about it all made Riku just want to go home and never get out, especially since he knew who the real target was. He wondered if things would get better if he were to leave. His friends wouldn't have to be worried all day long; they would be laughing and joking like they used to. Sora wouldn't have to spend almost all his days in the nurse office helping Cloud heal injured students. The poor kid was getting thinner from using his powers so much. He had only acquired them not so long ago so it was still tiring to use them. But even then, the small brunet wouldn't complain. He'd just go when his help was needed.

Riku's train of thought took an abrupt end when he felt someone grabbing him by the arm and pulling him to the side, inside an empty classroom. A strong hand was covering his mouth to prevent him from shouting, the other keeping his arm to his back. Turning his head to the side, the silver-haired teen saw the smirking face of none other than Ansem.

x-x-x

"Thanks for your help. Again. Are you sure you don't want to take a nap? You look like you could use it," Cloud told Sora, a worried expression on his also tired face.

"I need to get back to class. I've missed too many of my classes already," the teenager replied with a shake of his head. "I'll sleep when I get home. Our teachers don't give us that much homework anyway."

"If you say so," the blond replied, shrugging his shoulders.

The teen waved then left the office, eager to get back to class. He wasn't that happy to attend them, he just didn't want to fall back. He was barely passing; he didn't need his grades to get worse. He didn't get too far though. He saw Axel searching something frantically in the corridor before he spotted Sora and ran towards him.

"What's going on?" The brunet asked, not liking the expression on the redhead's face.

"Please, tell me you've seen Riku," the Chocobo almost begged.

"I saw him this morning when we were all at our lockers but…" Sora told him, frowning.

"Well, shit. I just lost him. The guy was with me and then he disappeared when I turned around. This is not good…" Axel muttered, furious – at himself.

"Okay, we'll just go back to where you were before Riku left. Let's take the same route, okay?" The Healer offered.

They both walked back to the corridor where Axel saw Riku for the last time and stopped for a brief second when they heard ruckus coming from one of the classrooms. The teens sprang to action without hesitating. They headed straight for the room where the noise was coming from and slammed the door open. Inside were Ansem and Riku, the two in the middle of a fight none was clearly taking the advantage of. Sora took no time to think and simply jumped in battle, Axel following close behind. With a wide move of his arm, Ansem pushed Riku and made the teen's back collide with a desk nearby. The Vampire fell to the floor with a barely contained cry, standing up as soon as he regained his balance. He saw the brunet trying to hit the man in the face, but his blow was stopped by a strong hand that sent him falling to the floor. Axel tried his chance but failed miserably. As soon as his hand met Ansem's, the redhead felt his strength leaving him quickly; too quickly.

"Now, will it make me even stronger than before?" Ansem wondered out loud, a mischievous smile on his lips as he searched for someone to try his new power on.

His gaze landed on Riku and he stepped towards him, only to stop when Sora stood between the two enemies.

"I won't let you hurt him!" The Healer shouted. His legs were shaking like crazy but he stood his ground. Even as the silver-haired man approached him, the teen didn't move an inch.

"My, my, you really remind me of her," Ansem said, his hand easily wrapping around the teen's neck. Sora had tried to dodge but to no avail. "Your grandmother had that same look the last time I saw her. She was looking at me like I was some kind of monster."

"That's exactly what you are," Sora replied with a weak voice, trying desperately to free himself from the man's grip. Riku tried to help him but stopped when Ansem's grip on Sora tightened.

"Do you really think that? After all the great things that we shared, the kids we took care of for most of our lives, she dared look at me with disgust. She should have been honoured."

"Honoured by what?" Riku spat, trying to figure out a way to save his friend, whose lips were slowly turning bluer and bluer.

"I had chosen her. I gave her everything she wanted but in the end, she couldn't even give me what I wanted the most." Ansem took a good look at Sora, his unfocused eyes, his parted lips that couldn't get enough air in. "All I wanted were her powers. I wasn't asking for too much."

"What kind of power could you possibly get from a Vampire?" Riku asked, confused. "There is nothing to gain!"

Ansem watched him with an unreadable expression before he suddenly burst into laughter. Axel and Riku exchanged curious glances, wondering what could have been so funny.

"You kids are so clueless I feel sorry for you," the man eventually said once he had calmed down. "How can you be one of them and not even know about your most powerful ability?"

Meanwhile, Sora was still struggling to breathe but it was becoming harder and harder. Understanding there wasn't much he could do, he started scratching at the silver-haired Ghoul's wrists, hoping it would distract the man enough to let go of the Healer. Unfortunately, it didn't have any effect and the grip on his neck remained strong.

"Vampires do not age like Human and other Species do. I hope you knew that, at least," Ansem began, openly making fun of Riku, who grit his teeth. "Really, that woman only interested me because she was a Vampire. I had hoped that giving her everything she wanted would grant me my greatest wish: drinking her blood."

"Blood? That's what you're after?" Axel asked, dumbfounded. He couldn't even begin to imagine why someone would want to drink it – except for Vampires, of course.

"Vampire blood to be precise. Drinking it will make anyone live longer. It is said that Vampires give their life to other people through their blood. This is how your father could live for so long, kid. He drank that woman's blood and by doing this, he was granted another life; a life that should have been mine."

Sora yelped when the grip tightened a bit more and this time, he just grabbed Ansem's wrists tight. As soon as he did it, the man's hold loosened quickly until the brunet could finally breathe again. As if afraid, Ansem let go of the teen and took several steps back, holding his hand like it had been burned.

"What did you just do?" The silver-haired man growled, clearly angry by whatever it was that just happened.

Sora lifted his eyes up to look at the Ghoul, and he was surprised when he realized he couldn't feel Axel's aura around anymore. It had left Ansem. The brunet thought for a moment, trying hard to understand what he had done and why him touching Riku's nemesis had had such an effect.

_Abnormal status removal._

Sephiroth's words echoed in his head as if he were in front of him and saying them; and then the teen understood. Getting powers from others, stealing them; it was nothing anyone was supposed to be able to do or that was done naturally. This could be the only reason why Sora could have taken Axel's power from Ansem.

It seemed like the man understood this too. He growled lowly, his eyes never leaving Sora's form and his lips forming a thin line now.

"Going blind wasn't enough, was it?" The Ghoul asked in such a threatening voice that the teenagers in the room almost expected Sora to drop dead at any moment. Fortunately, this couldn't be done until Ansem actually tried to cast a spell, which would take some time. The three boys didn't waste any time and acted before their enemy did. Axel and Riku ran towards Ansem and grabbed him firmly, preventing him from escaping. Both took great care to avoid the Ghoul's hands and kept them as far from them as they could. Sora sprang into action soon after, placing a hand over Ansem's heart and pressing hard. The silver-haired man thrashed around, trying to break free, but it was to no avail. It only resulted in his captors tightening their grip on his arms.

"Why do you do this to me?!" Ansem shouted, murder in his eyes as they bore into Sora's. "It's not my fault I was born a Ghoul! I'm only doing what my instincts tell me to do!"

The brunet stared at the pitiful man in front of him, who was steadily losing all of the powers he had stolen. He looked nothing like the proud, menacing man he had been. He was now as vulnerable as any other human being; Sora shook his head at the sight.

"Mine tells me to stop you," he replied as the last of Ansem's powers were removed from him.

x-x-x

Soon after, the teachers were called and Ansem was arrested after he had told everything. Once back to a weak Ghoul, the man had fallen into despair and hadn't felt the need to hide the truth. The three teenagers had watched as the police men took the culprit to the car and left the school grounds. Cloud had joined them soon after to make sure no one was hurt, and it was with great relief that he found them with not so much as a scratch. They had bruises, but nothing too serious.

"So you were telling the truth since the very beginning," the blonde Chocobo admitted, looking guilty. "I'm so sorry I didn't believe you."

"It's okay. Everything turned out alright in the end," Sora replied, smiling softly at the nurse, who smiled back, even though it was hard to see he did.

"Riku got lucky," Axel declared, putting an arm around the Vampire's shoulders. Riku made a face when he felt – and mostly heard – his shoulder giving a loud snap. "Oops, sorry 'bout that."

"Hey, you got your powers back!" Sora exclaimed, smiling from ear to ear. "That's so awesome!"

"You're the awesome one, kid. You did it," the Chocobo told his friend, winking. He even made to hug the brunet but he took a few steps back.

"Thanks but I don't want you to crush me," Sora explained when his reaction made Axel pout. "Then, that means the others are back to normal too."

As if to prove his point right, Demyx, Hayner and the last victim of Ansem showed up, looking happier than they did in the past weeks. Everything was finally back to normal.

"Hey," came a soft voice next to Sora. The brunet turned his head to the side, only to start from surprise when he felt strong arms wrapping around his shoulders and holding him close to a firm chest that smelled like Riku. "Thanks a lot."

The Healer's body went rigid and his face turned a bright shade of pink. It was the second time that the Vampire hugged him and just like the last time, Sora was embarrassed like he had never been before.

"Alright, I get it. No need to make such a big deal out of it," the younger protested, struggling to get the silver-haired teen to let go of him. It didn't work.

"I don't think so. You probably saved my life here."

"Okay, okay! No need to try to smother me!"

"I think you're embarrassing him, Riku," Axel eventually said so the Vampire understood why the brunet was so adamant about getting his personal space back.

The silver-haired teen let go of Sora and apologized several times, even though he was congratulating himself in the back of his head for managing to get a reaction out of his friend. It wasn't the one he was looking for, but it was still something. Besides, with Ansem out of the picture now, Riku could concentrate on his main task and, maybe, succeed.

--xx--xx--

A/N : Alright, one more to go! \o/ I still want to talk a bit about Riku and Sora since there is about nothing to say about their relationship. XD (the plot wasn't focused on it but it won't hurt to add some Soriku in there.) I have to admit I made this story way too long. I feel a oneshot would have been enough. A really long one. Oh well, I still got eight chapters out of this plot, so maybe it was better to go for a story with multiple chapters. Anyway, I'm sorry I've made you wait so long for this *lame* update. Thank you for being so patient! (and don't forget to thank Flammula who kept reminding me Change hadn't had an update in a while) See you soon and take care. =)


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